Description of the attraction
The Belelyubsky Bridge, located in Borovichi, is not only a necessary engineering structure, but also an original monument to the city's architecture.
It is known that in the second half of the 19th century, the city of Borovichi was a very developed city in terms of infrastructure and industry compared to other cities: a paper mill, a plant for the production of pyrite, a distillery, a factory for the production of leather goods, the production of explosives and much more. To a greater extent, the city was developed in terms of refractory bricks, which is why there were reserves of special high-quality clay near the city. At this time, the necessary Okulovka-Borovichi branch was built, but soon it was decided to extend it to the city of Cherepovets, although the idea was never implemented. There was such a situation that there was absolutely no permanent permanent bridge in the city that would pass over the rapids and fast Mstu River. In the summer period of the year, the builders simply built a wooden temporary bridge, and in the winter season, the ice crossing worked. During the off-season, only one ferry carried everything needed across the river, so there were always long queues at the crossing, which often led to conflicts and even fights.
In the middle of 1871, the Borovichi City Duma established the issue concerning the construction of a bridge across the river. This process took quite a long period of time, because the funds required for the construction of the bridge were considerable. Attempts have been made on several occasions to collect donations; the city authorities tried to impose taxes on everything they could, which led to an inevitable wave of protests among the urban population, as well as its active resistance in an attempt by the authorities to "profit". The situation approached the fact that the authorities were trying to introduce a special tax on domestic dogs, so the discouraged owners literally strangled innocent animals in one night. Based on the results of all the processes and operations, the required amount of money was nevertheless found.
In 1893, the Borovichi City Council made a request to design a new bridge to one of the most successful and leading bridge builders on the market, namely to the experienced professor of the Institute of Railways Nikolai Apollonovich Belelyubsky. The most important thing was to keep all costs to a minimum. Soon the company presented three projects for consideration - the cheapest, although somewhat outdated. The project of a modern beautiful arched bridge was also presented. The scientist proposed to create a three-hinged, single-span bridge with an arch downwards, the prototype of which was the bridge over the Rhine river in Germany. Soon a special project was developed, and the construction of the bridge nevertheless began. The Moscow Metallichesky Zavod took over the pile driving and foundation construction. In October 1902, a moleben was served to commence work. But there was a failure: the piles located on the left bank could not break through the gravel layer and broke. Capital began to shrink. Nevertheless, the correct solution was chosen and the bridge was anchored.
At the beginning of February 1905, the structure of the bridge was completed, and it was fixed on the supports. A couple of days later, the necessary tests began, and soon the bridge was finally opened. On the opening day, a celebration was held that lasted until night. Numerous townspeople congratulated each other on such a significant day in the life of the city, and also expressed their sincere gratitude to Professor Belelyubsky, chief engineer of the project Pshenitsky and head of the City Duma Shulgin. Only the new bridge was never given a name, although attempts were made to name the bridge "Alexandrovsky" in honor of Emperor Alexander the First, but the name never caught on and was soon forgotten.
The bridge is currently pedestrianized.
