The Patriarchal Bridge is a pedestrian bridge in Moscow across the Moskva River. Connects the territory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and Prechistenskaya, Bersenevskaya and Yakimanskaya embankments. Opened in 2004.
The construction of the bridge began in 2002, the opening took place in September 2004. Commemorative plaques with the following text are installed on both sides of it: “The Patriarchal Bridge was built in 2004 according to the project of architect M. M. Posokhin, artist Z. K. Tsereteli and engineers A. M. Kolchin, O. I. Chemerinsky.” At the time of its opening, the bridge connected the Cathedral of Christ the Savior with Bersenevskaya Embankment. On June 14, 2005, by a decree of the city government, the bridge was given the name “Patriarchal”.
In 2008, in the area of the exit to Bersenevskaya embankment, the bridge was equipped with an external elevator.
Since 2009, the Patriarchal Bridge has been part of the Golden Ring of Moscow tourist zone.
From 2008 to 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev recorded his New Year’s speech on the bridge.
The bridge is located near the Kropotkinskaya metro station. It connects Prechistenskaya Embankment with Bersenevskaya, crosses Bolotny Island at a level of ten meters above the ground, and then the Vodootvodny Canal, ending at Yakimanskaya Embankment. Near the bridge there are two berths for pleasure boats: “Patriarch’s Bridge” (“Temple of Christ the Savior”) on the left bank of the Moscow River and “Variety Theatre” opposite it.
The bridge offers views of the Kremlin, the House on the Embankment, the Central House of Artists, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Bolotny Island, the monument to Peter I by Zurab Tsereteli, Bolotnaya Square, Gorky Park, Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (downstream), as well as Krymsky and Andreevsky bridges (upstream).
By its design, the bridge is arched, single-span. The length is 203 meters, the width of the span is 105 meters, the width of the passage in the span is 54 meters, the height of the span within the passage is 12.5 meters. The stylobate part is raised above the surface level of Bolotny Island by 10 meters. The bridge is stylized as a traditional 19th century bridge architecture. The construction was carried out in a non-standard way: the bridge trusses were assembled along both banks of the river, and then with the help of rotary mechanisms they were deployed towards each other and connected.
At night, the bridge is illuminated by more than 200 lamps, 500 spotlights and LEDs. To illuminate the lower surface of the bridge, color changers were used – equipment for automatic color change, diffused light fixtures with a CMYK color mixing system. The control program is configured in such a way that the lamps gradually change the color of their rays. The arches change color to green, purple, blue, red and white with an interval of about 15 seconds.
Attractions nearby: Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, Kremlin embankment, Sofiyskaya Embankment, “House on the Embankment”.
See also bridges and embankments of Moscow.
