On August 28, a souvenir sheet with four stamps dedicated to St. Petersburg bridges was put into postal circulation in the Architectural Structures. Bridges series



Bank Bridge is a pedestrian metal beam bridge spanning the Griboyedov Canal in the Central District of St. Petersburg, connecting Kazansky and Spassky Islands. The bridge was built in 1825-1826 according to a design by engineer W. von Traitteur. It is one of six chain-type bridges and one of three bridges that have survived to the present day (along with the Lion Bridge and the Post Office Bridge). The bridge is adorned with statues of winged lions by sculptor P. Sokolov, which are a prominent example of Empire-style monumental sculpture. The image of the winged lion from the Bank Bridge is part of the logo of the N. Krupskaya Confectionery Factory. It is a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia. The bridge was named after the neighbored Bank of Issue (the building now houses St. Petersburg State University of Economics).

Egyptian Bridge is a steel-frame road bridge spanning the Fontanka River in the Admiralty District of St. Petersburg, connecting Pokrovsky and Bezymyanny Islands. The bridge was built in 1826 as a chain suspension bridge based on a design by engineers W. von Traitteur and V. Khristianovich. It became one of the first chain bridges in St. Petersburg. In January of 1905, the bridge collapsed as a squadron of the Horse Guard and a convoy of sleds were crossing it. The modern Egyptian Bridge was built on its historic site only in 1955 based on a design by engineer V. Demchenko and architects P. Areshev and V. Vasilkovsky. The sphinx sculptures survived the collapse and were returned to their pedestals. The sphinxes on the left bank face the Fontanka River, while those on the right bank face the city. This “reversal” was corrected only in 1955 during a major renovation of the bridge. It is a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia

Lion Bridge is a pedestrian metal beam bridge across the Griboyedov Canal in the Admiralty District of St. Petersburg, connecting Kazansky and Spassky Island. The bridge was designed by engineers W. von Traitteur and V. Khristianovich. On July 1, 1826, the bridge was opened for public. It is one of the three surviving pedestrian chain bridges in St. Petersburg (along with the Bank Bridge and the Post Office Bridge). It connects Lviny Lane and Malaya Podyacheskaya Street. It derives its name from the four cast-iron sculptures of lions by sculptor P. Sokolov that are mounted at the corners of the bridge. It is a distinguished monument of bridge architecture of the first quarter of the 19th century, a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia.

The Second Engineers’ Bridge is a stone arch road bridge spanning the now filled up Voskresensky Canal in the Central District of St. Petersburg, located on the right embankment of the Fontanka River near the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle. The bridge was built in 1824-1826 according to a design by engineer P. Bazen as part of the construction of a throughfare along the Fontanka Embankment. It is a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia. The bridge is a single-span stone arch bridge (with a fixed end arch). The span is covered by a brick-and-slab vault with granite arches along the facades and along the bridge’s axis, as well as a granite lining in the keystone.

The postage stamps feature bridges in St. Petersburg: Bank Bridge, Egyptian Bridge, Lion Bridge, and the Second Engineers’ Bridge.

In addition to the issue of the souvenir sheet, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and St. Petersburg.


Design Artist: I. Ulyanovsky.
Face value: 50 rubles each.
Souvenir sheet size: 104×85 mm, stamp size in the souvenir sheet: 42×30 mm.
Quantity: 15 thousand items.

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