Venetian bridges. Bridges of Venice, legends and history. Interesting facts about the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto and the Academy Bridge
Venice is a city in Italy, the administrative center of the Veneto region and the province of Venice. Forms a commune divided into 6 self-governing districts.
Population - 264,534 people (December 2013). Located on the mainland (after unification with the city of Mestre in 1926) and 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon of the Adriatic Sea. Susceptible to autumn floods from surge waves from the sea.
A large tourist, scientific and educational center. In the mainland there is a seaport and Marco Polo International Airport, an oil refinery and other factories. Venice Carnival and Venice Film Festival.
The architectural appearance of the city was formed during the heyday of the Venetian Republic in the XIV-XVI centuries. Together with the Venetian Lagoon, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
During antiquity, the Venetian region was inhabited by the Veneti (hence the name of the city). Island city since the 9th century. In the Middle Ages, it was the center of the Venetian Republic with numerous colonies in the Mediterranean Sea. The growth of the Ottoman Empire led to the decline of Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries; During the Napoleonic Wars it came under Austrian rule. In 1866 it became part of Italy.
Venice is a unique and inimitable city. Of course, they are trying to imitate him, they want to be like this Italian masterpiece, or even build full-fledged replicas. Somewhat reminiscent of a fake Dolce & Gabana on every second Caucasian, a copy appears on the embankment in Baku, in a shopping center in the Emirates, in the casinos of Macau and Las Vegas, or in the deserts of China. Naturally, such pitiful fakes are extremely far from the unsurpassed original, about which we hear more and more often that it is dying. He dies like the “Godfather”, counting his last days and giving advice to the remaining younger generation, while leaving for another world slowly, hiding under the water millimeters by millimeter, and the inhabitants are already fleeing from the sinking ship called “Venice”, letting them take the captain’s helm some crooks.
They say that the golden years of this city are already behind us, but tourist flows continue to steadily increase the volume of arriving people, and Venice is still alive. Moreover, it will live as long as bridges, beautiful and legendary, rise above its waters. These are some of them that I want to talk to you about.
Bridge of Sighs
Despite its rather romantic name, this bridge has practically nothing to do with the general atmosphere of love in the water city and appears to be a rather creepy, if not sad, place. But despite the tragic facts known to the whole world, couples in love still hire a Venetian gondolier and, accompanied by a baritone singing boatman, sailing under this bridge in the rays of the fading sunset, they try to kiss, so to speak, as a sign of eternal love and in order to live in perfect harmony, well, says the legend.
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The real story is much sadder. The transport logistics of the city are difficult, and imagine how difficult it is to monitor the transport of a dangerous criminal. Here he sits so handsome in the boat, at any moment he can jump overboard and try to escape by rowing. And in order not to provoke the convicts to escape and not to force the guards to hit them on the crown with an oar, and then not to catch prematurely executed bodies from the waters of the great Grand Canal, the city leadership decided to build a quick and convenient transportation hub - a bridge from court to prison. In short, this is how he was born in the 17th century.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
By the way, according to legend, it was Casanova who escaped from the guards who forced the Doges to take such drastic measures. The Bridge of Sighs received its romantic name almost immediately, but thanks to rather sad events. As you can see, due to very important circumstances, the bridge acquired a closed architectural form so that the convicts would not try to jump from it, and therefore the crossing has a completely closed appearance. Well, everyone doomed to many years in a Venetian dungeon walked to prison through this tunnel, walked up to the window and sighed goodbye. They say that people even began to call this bridge “Last Breaths”, because thanks to harsh laws, many went to execution along this road.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
Well, I’ll add that the Venice prison is far from the most romantic place, despite the beautiful views from the cell of the tranquil waters of the Grand Canal, it was fraught with a lot of danger. The lower cells were quite flooded during the “high water”, and I don’t think that the prisoners at that moment were enjoying luxurious SPA treatments in the form of fish peeling, but rather rejoiced at the acquired tuberculosis and inflammation, and in the hot summer months, the inhabitants of the upper cells enjoyed the poisonous aromas emitted by the heated water. in the sun with a lead roof. These were the harsh conditions in the most romantic city in the world.
Rialto Bridge
It is not surprising that this bridge is a real calling card of Venice, and today it is difficult to imagine the city without the most popular crossing, which attracts the attention of all tourists. But until the 12th century, there was no talk of any bridge across the Grand Canal, because all that the residents could afford was to tie the boats into one pontoon crossing and, loaded with products from the market, jump like mountain saigas from one boat to another, somewhat reminiscent famous Italian plumber Mario.
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But due to constant fires and various tragedies, from which it was entirely possible to escape, residents began to persuade the government about the need to build a permanent crossing, because no one wanted to swim and dive into the water with all their property. The Doge followed the lead of the public, and a new, beautiful... ponto... di Moneta was born. Yes, yes, the first bridge got its name in honor of the nearby mint, and it was supposed to bring success and prosperity to the beloved city.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
This is what happened, so after 50 years it was decided to expand it, since the narrow passage constrained the money bags walking along it and everyone was clinging to each other with pockets full of gold. The new bridge was even made as a drawbridge in order to allow large ships to pass through, and was named Rialto in honor of the nearby market; it was made of wood and therefore its very first version quickly burned down.
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Then they built a new one, even more beautiful, but also made of wood. This time the bridge lasted for almost a hundred years, until it collapsed under the weight of the crowd that had climbed onto it and decided to watch the festive boat parade. As a result, the impromptu boat carnival ended rather sadly, and the survivors and wet people began to demand a stone version.
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The Doges did not listen to them and again built a crossing from noble wood, and also placed shopkeepers on it, from whom they successfully collected coupons for the city treasury. Naturally, this bridge did not last long, then a council met, which caved in to the demands of the people, ordering a stone version, and Antonio de Ponte began to implement this whole thing, and as the Italians say, all because of cronyism and a famous surname.
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By the way, it was precisely this fact that infuriated the population, because some little-known old man won the city tender, in which eminent masters participated, among whom was Michelangelo himself, so this seventy-five-year-old architect, mockingly, proposed a design for a single-arch bridge. Everyone around spat and cursed, because multi-arches were in fashion, but in the end the rebuilt structure of the 16th century has survived almost in its original form to this day and today rightfully takes its well-deserved place among the architectural masterpieces of Venice.
Academy Bridge
For a long time, the Rialto described above remained the only permanent crossing over the Grand Canal, and only in 1854 a purely Venetian history, full of carelessness and stinginess, emerged, which allowed the current Academy Bridge to appear.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
By the way, the first version of this crossing was called the Bridge of Mercy in honor of the nearby temple, but when the museum settled there, they decided to rename our hero, but let’s return to his story.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
During Austrian rule, this part of the city urgently needed convenient transport routes, and in order not to interfere with shipping, they thought of digging a tunnel for their whims. True, the technologies turned out to be too underdeveloped, the idea was put aside as unconstructive and they were about to put together a bridge. But either this decision brought the residents to a boil, or they were simply tired of the Austrians, but a popular revolt began in the city, suppressing which the first bridge was finally born.
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photo from the site http://www.aboutvenice.ru/
But the Venetians did not like it at all; not only did it not fit into the romantic exterior, but its low height also interfered with navigation. There was a guerrilla war against it, they threw stones, loosened it and damaged it in every possible way, but at the same time they walked on it until it completely fell into disrepair. In its place in 1933, it was decided to build a handsome stone worthy of this great city, and for this they opened a special competition, and while it was going on, a small temporary wooden one was built in a measly thirty-seven days.
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The competition was held, the winner was chosen, but they were in no hurry to allocate money. Times were hard, war was brewing, and let them lie in the treasury, they would be safer. Moreover, the temporary residents liked it. Believe it or not, this temporary crossing, so beloved by residents, has been standing for almost a century; it was only updated in 1986, some elements were replaced with historical ones. Of course, since then the bridge has been pretty damaged, and it needs a new restoration, but the city government cannot find funds for this, so back in 2009 it organized a strange campaign to attract a sponsor who could fix the bridge.
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photo from the site https://pastvu.com/
Since then, the matter has not moved forward, and the bridge continues to collapse. So the authorities started talking about demolishing the landmark. It’s strange, even I can find sponsors for my travels, but one of the main bridges in Venice still doesn’t have one. Well, which of my readers wants to pull the strap of saving a collapsing attraction? After all, the bridge is still breathing, although it is in a state of its last breath...
Venice is a surprisingly romantic city with many cozy buildings and small canals separating them, where a unique atmosphere reigns. The city on the water boasts a huge number of attractions, while visiting them, tourists often forget about another marvelous feature of Venice - its bridges. We have selected six of the most beautiful and unusual, in our opinion, bridges.
The Scalzi Bridge (Ponte degli Scalzi), designed by Eugenio Miozzi, is one of the crossings over the Grand Canal. It is this bridge that you will see first when arriving in Venice: it is located in close proximity to the city’s train station and connects two districts: Santa Croce and Cannaregio, separated by a canal. Ponte degli Scalzi is translated from Italian as “barefoot bridge”. According to one legend, the bridge received this name because beggars lived not far from it and did not even have enough money to buy shoes. The construction of Scalzi was completed in the 1930s, and since then hundreds of thousands of feet of local residents and tourists have passed through it.
Although this Liberty Bridge (Ponte della Liberta) does not stand out as anything special, be it an interesting history or anything else, from the community of its counterparts located in Venice, it is still unique for the city in that it connects it to land, and specifically with the Mestre area. Created in 1932 by the talented Eugenio Miozia and opened in 1933 on the orders of Benito Mussolini, the bridge became a symbol of the decline of the fascist dictatorship. It stretches for almost four kilometers, making it one of the longest not only in Venice, but in all of Italy.
(Ponte di Rialto) was built back in 1591, it is not surprising that it is considered one of the oldest in Venice. Once upon a time, local merchants who lived nearby traded on it with all their might, and merchant ships that arrived from far away with overseas wonders unloaded. Many hundreds of years have passed, but life on Rialto is still in full swing. Tourists invariably come here to take a photo from the bridge: the Rialto offers breathtaking views.
Perhaps this bridge can be called one of the most famous in Venice. It was built back in 1602 from white marble according to the design of Antonio Contino, whose uncle, by the way, was the author of the Rialto Bridge. Despite its romantic name, (Ponte dei Sospiri) has a rather sad history. It connects the building of the Doge's Palace, where court sessions once took place, and the prison, to which many prisoners were sent after the trial. Only on this bridge could the convicts take a last look at the city on the water.
Ponte dei Pugni is translated from Italian as “bridge of fists”. It received this name for a reason; behind it there is an interesting story that happened many hundreds of years ago, when the Venetian tradition of fist fights still existed. The purpose of the tournaments was to throw the enemy into the water, which was not very difficult: the bridge did not have railings. And today, attentive tourists notice on the Bridge of Fists the marks that the participants in the battle stood on before it began.
Not far from the majestic canal, the Straw Bridge (Ponte della Paglia) spans the waters. Tourists who have visited it often ask where it got its name, since straw was definitely not the material used to create it. The graceful Straw Bridge has its own history. Local residents claim that it was named so because many centuries ago a straw merchant lived next to the bridge.
In addition to the majestic bridges that have their own history, Venice also has a huge number of anonymous pontes that also deserve attention. Therefore, when you go to a city on the water, carefully study them too: you will probably find their own zest in each!
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For Venice, located on numerous islands, bridges are as important as air. It is no coincidence that there are more than four hundred of them here, and each is unique in its own way. The most famous are those spanning the two main canals of the city - the Palace and Grand Canals.
Palace Canal
On the Rio di Palazio, as the name of the Palace Canal sounds in Italian, there are only two bridges. Despite its ceremonial name, the Palace Canal is a rather gloomy place, since it originally connected the Doge's Palace with the building of the New Prisons.
The un-Venetian gloomy and joyless panorama of the Palace Canal opens from the bridge called Solomenniy. And this is not at all accidental, because mainly prisoners were transported along this canal, and they had absolutely no need to admire the beauties of the city.
The bridge got its strange name for a white-stone structure thanks to the nearby pier, where ships bringing fresh straw for prisoners moored.
The bridge was erected in the middle of the 14th century and served regularly for almost 500 years. The building required restoration only in the 19th century, when it was not only repaired, but also slightly expanded.
The second crossing over the Palace Canal is a very popular among tourists, a small and very high arched bridge with the beautiful name Bridge of Sighs.
Legend has it that lovers who kiss here at sunset will remain faithful to each other forever.
However, the purpose of the bridge was not initially so romantic. For several centuries it connected the Palazzo Ducale, where court hearings usually took place, with the city prison located on the other side of the canal. And the sighs here came not from lovers, but from prisoners passing across the bridge. Many of them saw Venice from the Bridge of Sighs for the last time in their lives.
Grand Canal
A completely different impression is left by the wide Grand Canal, framed by magnificent palaces, which can be crossed on four bridges.
The Academy Bridge will be the first bridge you encounter on the way if you move along the Grand Canal from south to north. It is named after the nearby Galleria dell'Accademia and is intended to connect this art museum with St. Mark's Square.
Despite its proximity to the historical center of Venice, the bridge can be considered a new building. Conceived back in the 15th century, it was built only in the middle of the 19th century, and was originally an openwork steel structure, which, unfortunately, did not last long.
Already in the middle of the 20th century, the Academy Bridge had to be dismantled, and a temporary wooden crossing was erected in its place. But, as you know, there is nothing more eternal than temporary, and the townspeople loved the wooden bridge so much that it was decided to keep it in this form.
Unfortunately, wood is not as durable as steel, and in 1985 the badly dilapidated structure had to be rebuilt again. The modern Academy Bridge has remained wooden, and also completely replicates the appearance of its predecessor.
If you move further along the Grand Canal, you will see the most famous Venetian bridge, one of the generally recognized symbols of the city - the Rialto Bridge.
His story was not always happy and cloudless. The first bridge on this site was built in 1181 and was the only crossing over the Grand Canal. At first the bridge was wooden and in 1310, during the popular uprising of Tiepolo, it was burned. A century later, in 1444, the restored Rialto suddenly collapsed on its own, unable to withstand the weight of the crowd admiring the parade of ships. The bridge was restored again, and even modernized, equipped with an adjustable mechanism. But this new wooden structure turned out to be fragile and soon collapsed.
The Doge of Venice ordered not to restore the old bridge, but to build a new one, but from stone. In this regard, a competition was announced throughout Italy for the best project for the future structure. Among the applicants was Michelangelo himself, but the victory was awarded to a certain Antonio de Ponte. It must be said that the choice turned out to be successful, and the architect successfully coped with the task assigned to him.
The Rialto Stone Bridge at that time could be considered a marvel of engineering. Externally, it has the shape of a strongly curved arch, 7 meters high, and its base rests on several thousand piles firmly driven into the bottom of the canal. Right on the bridge, places were initially provided for traders, and now there are a dozen souvenir shops operating here, which never complain about the lack of customers.
The next bridge over the Grand Canal is the Scalzi Bridge, which is popularly called the “Barefoot Bridge”. Perhaps this is due to the many beggars who have long chosen this area, but a more plausible version connects this name with the nearby monastery of the Carmelites, who always preferred to walk barefoot.
The bridge was built in 1856 and has suffered many attacks from critics for its “too modern” appearance. A century later, the authorities finally listened to the murmurs of the townspeople and rebuilt the bridge in the traditional Venetian style, to match the surrounding landscape.
The last bridge along the Grand Canal was the modern Constitution Bridge, opened in our century, in 2008. It is located outside the historical part of the city and provides convenient access to the Santa Lucia train station, the main land gate of Venice.
The construction of the structure was entrusted to the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, famous for his. Like the neighboring Scalzi Bridge, the new bridge was heavily criticized while still under construction. Calatrava was criticized for his choice of location, the excessive “modernity” of the project, and even for the fact that the structure was absolutely not suitable for the movement of wheelchair users. The protests were so persistent that the Venetian authorities were forced to cancel the opening ceremony of the bridge and it passed almost unnoticed by the public.
Thus, the history of the main Venetian bridges is far from romantic. Prisoners were led along them, they were pursued by collapses, and later by popular riots, but all this, thank God, is a thing of the past. Now Venetian bridges are a favorite place for tourists. Guests of Venice never tire of admiring these narrow humpbacked bridges, which are invariably associated with something mysterious and festive, as is the whole city. And it is very good that these illusions are so firmly entrenched in our consciousness. A beautiful fairy tale is always more pleasant than everyday reality.
