On August 31, within the framework of the Moscow Island project, another excursion dedicated to the bridges on the Moskva River took place. The history of the construction of the most interesting bridges in the capital was supplemented by the results of research carried out by the General Planning Institute during the preparation of an international competition for the concept of development of territories along the Moskva River.
Large-scale competitions, which have already become a familiar part of the city planning policy of the capital's government, are combined with the growing interest of citizens in applied urban studies. Public activity and administrative resources now act in the same direction, identifying the most pressing problems and forming a common information field, where the knowledge and experience of professionals and the sincere interest of citizens are combined. An example of such synergy is the Moscow Island excursion project (its author and leader is Rostislav Vylegzhanin), initiated by a group of journalists, historians and Moscow scholars and launched almost simultaneously with the international competition for the concept of developing territories along the Moskva River.
The desire of Muscovites to make the river a part of their lives coincided with the intention of the city authorities to develop a comprehensive program for the development and transformation of river banks. The city has long ignored its river. This immense territorial and infrastructural resource, which makes up 10% of Moscow's area within the old borders, has hardly been used so far: only a quarter (!) Of the 200 kilometers of the Moscow River coastline has been developed, and most of the rest of the territory has been erased from the life of the townspeople. The situation should be changed by a long-term program, the first step in the implementation of which was an urban planning competition, in terms of the scale of the task set, comparable to the competition for the concept of the development of the Moscow agglomeration. By the way, many of the agglomeration concepts presented in 2012 included proposals to increase the role of the river in the city.
The results of the current competition, and even more so their implementation, is a question for the future, and even now, thanks to the Moscow Island project, anyone can get acquainted with the sights of the Moskva River. Boris Kondakov, the architect of the workshop of the Research and Development Institute of the General Plan "Historical Zones", who took part in the complex architectural and historical research that preceded the competition, acted as a guide for those gathered on board the colorful steamship "Tsaritsa Elena". The excursion "Bridges over the Moskva River" started at half past six from Moskvoretskaya embankment and ended two hours later at Moscow City. The interesting theme and the opportunity to admire the evening capital attracted many: almost all the seats both on the open and on the closed deck were occupied. The organizers managed to create a very cozy atmosphere - comfortable armchairs, warm blankets, mulled wine and coffee - thanks to which the meaningful lecture looked more like a friendly conversation.
There are 37 bridges along the entire length of the Moskva River, and this number is sorely lacking for a large metropolis. There are almost as many of them in Paris as in Moscow (35 bridges), but the length of the Seine within the city is only 12 km, while the Moskva River is 83 km. As a result, the distance between the two bridges in Paris is only 300–400 meters: this distance is comfortable for pedestrians and is optimal for ensuring the unity of the urban fabric and transport accessibility.
In Moscow, the shortest distance from the bridge to the bridge - 500-900 meters - can be found only in the city center, and at the periphery it reaches 13.7 km (between the Brateevsky bridge and the bridge on Andropov Avenue).
Thus, the banks of the river are connected by rare "stitches" that hardly unite the two halves of the city. Infrastructure gaps complicate access to certain areas and facilities, leading to traffic jams. But on the other hand, every bridge in Moscow is a landmark: either an architectural and engineering masterpiece, or the owner of a complex and interesting fate. Most of the capital's bridges were built or reconstructed almost 100 years ago, in the process of implementing a grandiose plan that is striking in its scale even now - the project for building the embankments of the Moskva River according to the general plan of 1935.
One of the authors of the General Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow and subsequently the chief architect of the capital S. E. Chernyshev in his article "River and City" (magazine "Architecture of the USSR" No. 4, 1934) wrote that it was required to create "a single architectural ensemble along the entire length of the river." Moreover, “the building needs to be given a volumetric-spatial solution using the rich possibilities of the changing relief of the coastal strip. The front of the buildings should be brought closer to the embankment in some cases - either by terraced building it should be moved away from the river in order to give space to the park, or a deep perspective on this or that interesting urban ensemble should be opened. " According to Chernyshev, the embankments of the rivers should have been formed in a ceremonial manner in the capital: the banks were dressed with granite, and the embankments themselves turned into "beautiful highways surrounded by greenery." The details were also thought out: “New descents to the river should be spacious and, where necessary, like, for example, at the Palace of Soviets, monumental and majestic. When decorating embankments and bridges, sculptures, bas-reliefs, statues, emblems, revolutionary monuments, etc. should be widely used. All elements of the necessary equipment for embankments and bridges … must be taken into account in the design itself and receive a uniform design. " Analyzing the situation, SE Chernyshev stated that "… bridges, picturesque terraces, stairs leading to bridges, flyovers, monumental buildings along the banks of the river - all this, combined with greenery and a mirror of the river, provides rich material for decoration."
The architect expressed the idea that many cities in the world owe their beauty to their river "highways" to a large extent, and in this regard, in the work of Moscow architects, the interpretation of the relationship between "river and city" could give the capital's appearance additional originality. And, as experience has shown, largely thanks to the efforts of the architects of the first half of the 20th century, who worked on projects for new and reconstructed bridges and embankments, the center of Moscow has become the way we know and love it. In the General Plans of Moscow in 1923 and 1935, much attention was paid to the renovation and construction of bridges. Then the oldest bridges of the capital - Borodinsky and Novospassky - were reconstructed.
In the 1930s, five bridges were built at once (an unprecedented scale that had no analogues in the history of the city), namely: Bolshoy Ustinsky, Moskvoretsky, Bolshoy Kamenny, Krymsky and Krasnokholmsky. They have survived to this day in varying degrees of authenticity, since the bridge is, first of all, a functional and utilitarian structure, it quickly becomes obsolete - if not physically, then functionally, and requires expansion of the track and lifting of spans due to the growing traffic load and the development of navigation.
But it also happens the other way around. For example, the Bolshoi Ustyinsky Bridge (1938), connecting Yauzsky Boulevard with Sadovnichesky Proezd, designed by the architect G. P. Golts, was designed for a traffic flow of 11,000 vehicles per hour, and such a load could not be achieved both in the last century, since and in the current one. As a result, it is the freest bridge in the city even during rush hour. However, the bridge was not lucky in terms of decoration - only the engineering part of the project was fully implemented, and the architectural decor remained on paper.
And it's a pity - in addition to the decoration of the bridge itself, it was planned to put a lighthouse tower at the intersection with Yauza, which would decorate the panorama of the city and the river.
The Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge, designed by A. V. Shchusev in 1938, was also planned to be decorated. At the request of the architect, Vera Mukhina developed several sketches of sculptural compositions. One of them, "Bread", was implemented, but it was not installed on the bridge. Today, a sculpture depicting three girls who personify the Sea, Earth and Fertility can be seen in the Druzhba Park near the River Station. And the Moskvoretsky bridge is expected to be reconstructed in the coming years: during the construction of the Zaryadye park, it is proposed to narrow the automobile part of the bridge in favor of the pedestrian zone, which is proposed to be greened.
It is interesting that bridges can not only be increased in height and width, but also moved. This is exactly how the fate of two pedestrian metropolitan bridges, Andreevsky (Pushkin) and Bohdan Khmelnitsky (pedestrian Kievsky bridge), converted from old railway bridges built according to the designs of A. N. Pomerantsev and L. D. Proskuryakov at the beginning of the XX century.
New railway bridges "Novoandreevsky" and "Krasnoluzhsky" ("Luzhnetsky") reproduce the image of their ancient predecessors.
On the metal Bolshoy Kamenny bridge, erected in 1938 according to the project of V. A. Shchuko, V. G. Gelfreikh and M. A. Minkus, you can also find traces of history. Firstly, this is the name inherited from its predecessor, a real stone bridge, which stood slightly upstream. Secondly, the old (1924-1993) coat of arms of Moscow is depicted on its cast-iron parapets - a hammer, sickle and obelisk in memory of the October Revolution are visible against the background of the star: this monument stood in 1918-1941 opposite the current building of the Moscow City Hall, and then in its place erected a monument to Yuri Dolgoruky.
On the map of the city, you can trace the ideas laid down, but implemented by the city planners of the past. So, the already mentioned Andreevsky Bridge was built as part of the transport ring, projected in the never-implemented general plan of Shchusev (1923). Dominant buildings in the avant-garde style were erected along this ring: for example, the Shukhov tower, which stands just in the direction of movement along the bridge from Frunzenskaya embankment to Titovsky proezd.
There are many such prepared, but not fully implemented urban planning projects on the city map. As an example, Boris Kondakov cited the Smolensk metro bridge, which initially provided for the possibility of pedestrian traffic, but this idea was not implemented. The fact that its designers had such an idea is evidenced by the construction of the bridge - spacious flights of stairs.
Also, if you carefully study the map of the capital, you can easily imagine yourself in the role of a bridge builder and find a suitable place for a new "connecting link". Thus, Boris Kondakov proposes to connect the Luzhnetskaya and Vorobyovskaya embankments with a pedestrian bridge, linking the Bolshaya Pirogovskaya Street located along the same line with Michurinsky Prospect. If you look at the map of the city, he just asks for this place.
However, on the scheme developed by the Institute for the General Plan of Moscow, proposing a rational placement of bridges, this bridge is not marked, but there are as many as 16 new bridges on it. So, on the territory of the reconstructed ZIL, according to the planners, it would be advisable to build 4 bridges, and in the South-East - in Pechatniki, Maryino and Kapotnya - three. 5 bridges will be able to solve the transport problems of Moscow City and adjacent districts. One bridge could connect the Filyovsky Park and Horoshevo-Mnevniki districts, and three in the northwest - Strogino and Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo.
Another bridge, the need for which is felt by everyone who strolled from Gorky Park to the Crimean embankment and further to the Kremlin, is the pedestrian bridge leading from Muzeon to Krasny Oktyabr. More than once in the press there was information about the intention of the Moscow government to announce a competition for this project, but things have not gone further than announcements.
So bridge construction, which has stopped in Moscow for many years, will finally continue. The urban fabric needs bridges as a means of communication, and the urban environment as one of the most beautiful details of urban landscapes. The continuity of urban planning concepts of the past and the present should be manifested in competitive projects for the reconstruction of the Moscow River coastal zone. We remind you that on September 12, 2014, the acceptance of applications for participation in the competition ends, and on September 19, 6 finalists will be announced, who by December this year will present in their concepts a vision of the development of territories along the Moskva River, as well as ideas for the creation of new bridges and embankments.
