Connecting parts of the world: pedestrian bridge across the Urals in Orenburg April 17th, 2018
The pedestrian bridge across the Urals in Orenburg is rightfully the city’s main attraction. More like a symbol. His image is in all notes and essays about the city, on calendars and postcards. In 1835, a bridge was built on this site, in the design of which our famous writer Vladimir Dal was involved. He lived at that time in Orenburg. The first bridge was a wooden floating one; it was erected after floods and removed for the winter. Then the bridge became a pile bridge, but also made of wood. It was only in 1982 that the metal bridge that we see to this day was built. 
The length of the bridge is 220 meters, weight is about 900 tons, the design is impressive - the suspension bridge is cable-stayed, but it looks somehow light. And there is also a stele “Europe Asia” installed on it.
The river divides the city into two parts approximately in the middle. And you can make unique trips from Europe to Asia and back several times a day.
On the European side there is a monument to the legendary pilot Chkalov, a cable car, an observation deck, and in Asia there is the Trans-Ural Grove. The monument to Valery Pavlovich was erected in 1953. Orenburg, by the way, was called Chkalov from 1938 to 1957. The six-meter monument stands on a seven-meter pedestal.
We will not take the cable car down to Zauralka, we will walk a little and return.
Yes, over time it was quite a disaster to be free.
Now the reconstruction of the embankment and the descent to the bridge from the observation deck seems to be completed or close to it.
Overall it’s not bad, you haven’t seen the old photos, but there are still a lot of imperfections and clumsy steps.
Maybe they'll fix it. Just during our walk on the bridge, an important delegation walked around, looking like an inspection commission, measuring, recording, photographing.
In general, the construction of this bridge itself was unique. It was erected simultaneously from both banks. On the south side they built it in the classical way, but on the opposite side it was first built along the shore and then turned around, connecting the two halves.
They say that the bridge itself will also be closed for reconstruction in the near future. This, I think, is correct.
After all, in some places it doesn’t look at all formal.
But the townspeople will have to get to their favorite vacation spot in the Transural Grove either by cable car or by road bridge.
Or maybe swim, because the city beach is located right here.
Okay, we'll see in the summer.
Pedestrian bridge in Orenburg (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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Bridges always have a special metaphysical meaning as something that connects opposites into a single whole. This fact is best reflected in the city of Orenburg, which itself can be considered a kind of “bridge between Asia and Europe.” In a word, it is quite natural that it was in this border place that an amazing pedestrian bridge appeared, connecting the two continents. It is difficult for those who cross the picturesque river separating the settlement to imagine that at the other end there is another part of the world. A real calling card of Orenburg makes all tourists envy the local residents, because they make an exciting intercontinental journey, sometimes several times a day.
The ancestor of this bridge, and all other Orenburg bridges that connect the banks of the Urals, was built back in 1835. It is interesting that the famous Russian writer Vladimir Dal, who lived in this Ural city, took part in the design of that crossing. The “ancestor” was made of wood and was a floating structure, which was put back up every year after the end of the heavy spring flood. After some time, the bridge was replaced by a pile bridge, but also a wooden one. In 1982, a beautiful metal bridge was built, which we can still see today.
Despite the fact that the bridge has quite impressive dimensions (its length is 220 m), outwardly it seems absolutely light and weightless, almost airy. It's amazing how architects and engineers managed to achieve such an effect when building such a large-scale structure.
With the help of this pedestrian bridge, residents of Orenburg make an exciting intercontinental journey, sometimes several times a day.
The pedestrian bridge in Orenburg is a real decoration of the already very picturesque embankment; in its beauty it is not inferior to other beautiful crossings in the country. And according to many experts, this design has no analogues anywhere in the country, and maybe even in the world. The organically inscribed bridge was created using unique metal processing technologies, which made it possible to make it both very extensive and seemingly transparent. In addition, the bridge was built very quickly and efficiently.
Bridge over the Urals
We can safely say that Europe and Asia were connected in an extremely original way. In order for idle tourists and locals hurrying on business not to forget that they are crossing the invisible border of continents, two symbolic border pillars were installed in the middle, decorated with the city’s coats of arms and the inscriptions “Europe” and “Asia”, respectively.
Finding the bridge is not at all difficult, just go out to the embankment of the Ural River and follow the majority of people walking, they will probably lead you to it.
Address: Orenburg, Naberezhnaya street.
The first bridge across the Ural River in the city of Orenburg was built back in 1835. The Russian writer Vladimir Dal, who lived in Orenburg at that time, took part in the design and construction of the bridge. The bridge was wooden and floating; it was rebuilt every year at the end of the spring flood. Later this bridge was replaced by a pile bridge; it was also wooden and temporary.
A permanent bridge across the Urals appeared in Orenburg only in 1982. It was built on the initiative of the Chairman of the City Council Yuri Garankin. This is a metal suspension cable-stayed bridge. It is erected on two supports, from which rise two high pylons, connected at the top in the shape of the letter “P”. From each of the pylons there are steel cables that support the bridge. The bridge is two hundred and twenty meters long and weighs about nine hundred tons. It is interesting that the bridge was built on both sides of the Urals. From the southern bank, construction was carried out in the usual way - across the river. And on the northern bank, the bridge span was built along the shore. and then unfolded it, connecting it to the other half.
Despite its rather significant size, the bridge looks almost weightless. It has become one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. In the middle of the bridge there is a metal stele marking the symbolic border between Europe and Asia.
Today's descent to the Urals actually almost completely repeats the one that was built in the fifties of the last century. The majestic Stalinist Empire style is restrained and elegant. But what was the embankment like before that? Let's remember together the most famous objects erected on the banks of the Urals and their history.
Once upon a time, the Ural embankment stretched for almost two kilometers from the Vvedenskaya Church on January 9 Street to the St. George Military Cathedral in Forstadt. It was a favorite place for the townspeople to hang out. At that time, it was prohibited to build residential buildings near the coastal slope, and the most famous and recognizable building built near the Urals on the embankment boulevard was Belov’s restaurant. After the revolution, the restaurant was demolished, but the name of the embankment - Belovka - has survived to this day.
Another city landmark, located on the embankment, appeared even before the wooden bridge across the Urals. The Elizabeth Gate, a kind of gateway to Asia, was granted by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1755. Their original location was the water gate of the fortress rampart. The daughter of the great Peter presented the royal gift to the province after Neplyuev’s victorious report on the suppression of the uprising that broke out in the Bashkir steppes.
Unfortunately, today's gate is just a copy of that gift. In the sixties of the last century, the Orenburg fortress was abolished, the ramparts were razed to the ground, and the Elizabeth Gate was moved to the beginning of the river’s descent. There they gradually collapsed under the influence of time and climate. A copy of the gate appeared in 2008; the bas-reliefs were restored from photographs and drawings of that time.
The bridge over the Urals is an integral part of the embankment. The very first bridge was built in 1835. At that time there was no embankment as such, and the bridge, of course, was different from today: it was floating, made of wood, and it was built every year in the spring after the flood.
It will probably be difficult for younger Orenburg residents to imagine that a permanent bridge appeared on the embankment only in 1982. The decision to build a permanent bridge was made by Yuri Garankin. The 220-meter-long metal cable-stayed suspension bridge on two supports has become permanent. It is interesting that from the southern bank the construction was carried out in the usual way - across the river, while on the opposite side the span was built along the bank, and then turned around and connected to the other half.
And finally, the famous Belovka descent. In 2015, he turned 60 years old: in 1955, a staircase with columns and gazebos was built according to the design of the architect Pavel Perminov. On July 12, 1955, the newspaper “Chkalovskaya Kommuna” published a photograph with the caption “The workers of the city of Chkalov received a wonderful gift. The construction of the descent from Sverdlov Boulevard to the Urals has been completed.” Then the descent led to a wooden bridge. On famous holidays, religious processions were also held here in city churches for the blessing of water.
