High Bridge in Kaliningrad: the road from the past to the future

The city of Kaliningrad, formerly known as Konigsberg, has an ancient history. The settlement was founded in 1255 on the islands along both banks of the Pregolya River, through which bridges were built in the XIV century, uniting separate parts of the city into a single whole. From time to time, old buildings undergo reconstruction. In the summer of 2016 the capital repair of the High Bridge in Kaliningrad began. The work is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2017.

City of seven bridges

All the bridges of Koenigsberg, apart from direct assignment, performed defensive functions. Fearing an attack from Lithuania and Poland, the residents of the city in front of each of the bridges built fortifications in the form of towers with strong iron-clad oak gates. In the bridge piers there were rooms, from which through the embrasures one could firing at the advancing enemy.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Pregol River was widely used for navigation. Therefore, the design of each of the bridges included a swing mechanism, which provided for the possibility of missing barges and ships with tall masts. Since the construction of the railroad connecting Kaliningrad with Chernyakhovsky, Pregolia has lost the status of an important transport artery. Therefore, the need to build bridges has disappeared. Only the High Bridge in Kaliningrad retained this function until recently. Its mechanism was periodically activated for preventive purposes and for posting of commercial vessels.

History of construction, repairs and reconstructions

A high bridge in Kaliningrad, or rather in Koenigsberg, was built in 1520. A wooden crossing over the river connected the Forstadt area with the island of Lomza. Only three and a half centuries later it was decided to reconstruct the bridge. In 1882, reinforced brick pillars, worn out wooden parts of the construction replaced with metal. In the same period, a small building was erected here, where levers and mechanisms were placed, with the help of which the bridge was raised.

It is interesting that this building, in fact, is a booth of the bridge caretaker, for some reason the local population dubbed the castle or pavilion Munchausen. The reason for this, apparently, was the fabulous outline of the house, although it was built 100 years after the time when the real prototype of the famous baron lived.

A large-scale alteration of the High Bridge in Kaliningrad underwent in 1939. The old structure was completely dismantled. Having retreated a few meters from the brick supports that had served their time, new concrete farms were built, on which a strong metal flooring was erected.

Necessity of modern reconstruction

In the spring of 2016, the city authorities decided to repair the traffic intersection at the crossroads of Bagration, Dzerzhinsky and Oktyabrskaya streets, that is, the area where the High Bridge is located. In Kaliningrad, as is known, there will be several matches in the final stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The city in advance began to prepare for this event, updating not only sports facilities, but also the appearance of streets.

Within the framework of this program, it was decided to reconstruct the High Bridge in Kaliningrad. The project is financed from the regional budget, the progress of construction work is taken under personal control by the head of the city Alexander Yaroshuk. According to expert estimates, the deterioration of the structure reached about 80%. Therefore, the old design will be disassembled completely, and in its place a new bridge will be erected, meeting modern requirements.

How will the renovated High Bridge look like?

Kaliningrad, whose photo sights may appear on new banknotes, carefully keeps its history. But, according to the authorities and architectural departments of the city, the High Bridge does not belong to the objects of cultural heritage.

Despite this, all dismantling works are carried out with utmost care, so as not to destroy the main components of the structures. Separate fragments of the spreading mechanism are planned to be transferred to the museum, and the ancient paving stone found under the asphalt covering of the bridge will be used for the improvement of city streets.

The width of the bridge after the reconstruction will increase by 3 meters. There will be organized a four-lane traffic of vehicles. The construction of tram tracks is planned along the two internal lanes of the roadway. Both sides of the bridge are equipped with pedestrian sidewalks and paths for cyclists.

Accidents accompanying construction

In the summer of 2016, when work was carried out to dismantle the High Bridge spans, divers involved in disassembling submarine structural units had to face unforeseen difficulties. A huge fish, weighing more than 200 kilograms, periodically appeared in the construction area, horrifying people.

It turned out that it was a catfish, living in a pit nearby. According to the deputy head of Kaliningrad city administration, Artur Krupin, the divers tried to carry out all necessary actions with the utmost care, so as not to disturb the river inhabitant and not to frighten him from the occupied places.