Winter Canal

Winter Canal gathers Moika River and Big Neva River in Winter Palace area. The canal was dug in 1718-1719s according to a project and under management of constructor V. Ozerov, who was one of the main contractors chargeable for building of the new city that time. Only in 1782-1784 embankments of the canal were made in granite, until then, they were wooden and in some places even sandy. Sculptor J. Dunker created the cast-iron fences, preserved until now. As well as other rivers and canals, Winter Canal changed its name many times, originally, from 1738 to 1768 it was the Old Palace Canal, then, up to the beginning of 1780s - Post embankment, later in 1828 - Winter Canal itself.

Undoubtedly, Winter Canal is one of the most popular points of interest in Saint-Petersburg. It is inexcusable not to take a boat trip excursion while visiting "Northern capital". You should choose the route, which runs right through Winter Canal. Despite its short extent, the 228 meter length and 20 meter wide canal can open in front of you the wonderful views over city sights from its embankments as well as from its surface, if you are on a boat trip.

There are three beautiful bridges across the canal - First Winter, Second Winter and Hermitage ones. These bridges are very interesting from the architectural point of view, but there is one legend, which makes them even more interesting. This legend is based on a real story. According to it, the Hermitage bridge was mentioned in the third act of the opera "Queen of Spades" by P. Tchaikovsky - Liza plunged into the water exactly of Winter Canal, when crazy Herman leaved her. This story is not in the original novel by A. Pushkin. It appeared after P. Tchaikovsky in 1890 send a paper cut from "Peterburgskie Vedomosti" to his brother Modest. In this paper cut there was a notice about some Julia Perova, who in 1868 committed a suicide by plunging into the water from Hermitage bridge in Winter Canal. M. Tchaikovsky decided to put this tragic scene in opera's libretto. That is why the second name of the bridge is "Liza's bridge".