BRIDGES

Numerous bridges thrown across the Slavianka river are known to play an important role in organization of the park spaces in Pavlovsk. Notable for their elegance and variety of the materials used, these intricately shaped foot-bridges add much to the inimitable beauty of the surrounding natural landscapes.

First arched bridges near the Great Palace were erected in the 1780s to designs by Ch. Cameron (the bridge by the Apollo Colonnade, the Hump-Backed Bridge). At the close of the 18th century it was V. Brenna who took part in construction of several bridges in the park (the Centaur Bridge, the Bridge across the Ravine, the project of the Visconti Bridge).

The Cast-Iron Bridge was thrown across the river in front of the Temple to Friendship. Built at the same time as the pavilion in the form of a stone arched bridge, it was remade by C. Rossi in 1823 in cast iron. Empress Maria Feodorovna herself had a hand in the choice of the form of the bridge, which she created from several versions offered for her inspection.

The Slavianka valley region comes to an end at the wonderful stone bridge. Its arch is reflected in the smooth surface of the water, forming an elegant oval. Built in 1803, it is called the Visconti Bridge, after Carlo Visconti, the stone master who headed construction work in the Pavlovsk Park at the start of the 19th century. The construction plan is based on a project by Vincenzo Brenna. His design and cross-section of the bridge completely coincides with its modern view. However, its final appearance seems to have been influenced by Andrei Voronikhin.

The stone Centaur Bridge crosses the river between the Family Grove and the left bank, not far from the Great Palace. It is decorated with sculptural figures of these mythological creatures of half-horses and half-men (V. Brenna, late 18th century). They were originally made of plaster, moulds of ancient statues from the Capitol Museum in Rome. In 1805 they were replaced by marble copies, replaced in turn by synthetic casts in the 1970s.

Not far from the End of the World Column which is located in the New Sylvia region there is a picturesque path leading to the New Sylvia Bridge (I. Potolov, 1873), restored in the 1980s. The New Sylvia Bridge offers a perspective of the Red Valley, in the depth of which one can see the Pil Tower and the adjacent Pil Tower Bridge (Andrei Voronikhin, 1808).

The park finishes at the Red Valley Bridge (destroyed during the war). It lies little farther down the river and is much like the New Sylvia Bridge. A dam under this bridge raised the level of water in the Slavianka from the Pil Tower onwards.

Bridge at the Apollo Colonnade. Ch. Cameron, 1782.	The Black Bridge. Ch. Cameron, 1780s.	The Deer Bridge. Late 19th century.