Unique photos of the construction of the Old Bridge in Grodno. Who photographed the dangerous caissons in which people risked their lives at the bottom of the Neman to place the supports? MANY PHOTOS
Negatives found in Russian archives shed light on the creation of the main crossing over the Neman in Grodno. Dozens of photos, which captured unique details that never again entered the lenses of cameras, were created by a young intern who, in the future, would make a brilliant career as a builder of seaports.
A massive riveted caisson lock chamber, photographed in a horizontal position before assembly, 1907. A group of builders nearby allows assessing the true dimensions of the apparatus. In the background, wooden caisson scaffolding with pyramidal roofs and the silhouette of the Bernardine Church are visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Historian Aliaksandr Perahudau drew attention to photographs that have long been awaiting their researcher in the open State Catalogue of the Museum Fund of Russia. These are rare glass negatives from the collection of the Central Museum of Railway Transport of Russia. The photos, dated summer 1907-1908, capture the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno at its peak. In the museum funds, the author of the collection is indicated only by initials — "V. E. Lyakhnitsky".
But finding the author's real name was quite easy: at the same time, Valerian Evgenievich Lyakhnitsky was a student of the prestigious St. Petersburg Institute of Railway Engineers and came to the banks of the Neman for his student internship. The negatives themselves helped confirm the authorship: the young man not only photographed the process itself and the construction structures, but also willingly appeared in the frame himself, both at the construction site and during his leisure time — for example, together with fellow students during a rest in the garden of E.E. Malevich at the 26th Artillery Park in Grodno.
Group portrait in the garden of officer E.E. Malevich on the territory of the 26th Artillery Park in Grodno, 1907. In the photo — four engineering students, the garden owner, and two ladies, probably his relatives. Far left in a white student tunic — the author of the photo, Valerian Lyakhnitsky. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The future engineer came from a very extraordinary family. His father, Evgeny Anatolievich, was a military doctor and a state councilor, while his mother, Rozalia Khristoforovna, in her youth belonged to a circle of social democrats, managed a Russian library in London, and was even personally acquainted with Karl Marx. It is interesting that many modern publications and encyclopedias give an erroneous place of birth for Lyakhnitsky, calling him a native of St. Petersburg. In fact, he was born in the spring of 1885 in Bern, Switzerland. They ended up there not by chance: his father improved his knowledge in Switzerland at medical courses, and his mother, after leaving the Russian Empire, first entered the medical faculty in Zurich, and then also moved to Bern to continue her medical education.
Grodno became an important, but far from the only point on the map of his student formation. During his studies, Lyakhnitsky also interned at construction sites in the Semirechye region in the city of Verny (modern Almaty), in Vologda, and on the South Russian Railway. This experience became the foundation for his brilliant career.
Having graduated from the institute with top marks, he managed to intern at the construction of the Panama Canal, and already in 1915, he headed a survey party on the Kola Peninsula.
It was his work that determined the location for the construction of Murmansk port, which gave rise to the city of Murmansk itself. Subsequently, Lyakhnitsky reached the highest scientific and professional pinnacles: he became a Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor, full member of the Academy of Construction and Architecture of the USSR, designed ports from Leningrad to Sakhalin, and left behind more than 200 scientific works.
Looking at the surname of this prominent man, it is tempting to assume his connection with the Grodno Lyakhnitskys — a wealthy family who owned the Panyamuń estate and a palace on Zamkavaya Street. Allegedly, that's why the young student chose the city on the Neman for his internship. However, no documentary confirmations of this have been found yet.
It is only interesting that the engineer's descendant, in a book about his family, calls the Lyakhnitskys "Belarusians from Chernihiv," without explaining, however, the reasons for such a definition.
Official portrait of Valerian Lyakhnitsky in the uniform of a railway engineer, 1916. In this photo, he is already the head of port survey parties on the Murmansk coast. Photo: Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore
The value of this collection lies in its exceptional technical detailing — no other pre-revolutionary construction in Belarus has such consistent photo documentation. Traditional urban photography of the early 20th century showed new constructions exclusively as part of a general panorama. Valerian Lyakhnitsky's photos, however, show the construction from within. Obviously, he took them primarily for himself, so that as a student he could better understand and grasp the complex topic. Therefore, the photographer meticulously recorded stages and technologies that usually remain out of frame: work with caissons, installation of lock apparatuses and electrical equipment, the system of temporary wooden scaffolding, methods of stone processing, and the direct work of builders.
Thanks to this personal interest of the intern, we accidentally received a detailed visual "guide" to bridge construction and an excellent source on the history of industrial technologies of that time. At the same time, they are not devoid of artistic merit.
Self-portrait of Valerian Lyakhnitsky on temporary wooden scaffolding over the Neman, 1907. The student stands on stacked metal profiles that were used in construction. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
How the bridge originated
By the beginning of the 20th century, Grodno's economic life was literally suffocating due to the lack of a normal crossing over the Neman. The railway bridge, built back in the 1860s, worked exclusively for trains, while ordinary townspeople were left only with ferry boats and a seasonal pontoon bridge that had to be dismantled for winter and during spring floods.
Discussions about the need for a permanent horse-drawn and pedestrian bridge moved into a practical plane in 1903 under Governor Pyotr Stolypin, and funds were found already under his successor Mikhail Asorgin. The project was estimated at a colossal sum — 800 thousand rubles, not including the land gratuitously given by the city.
Concreting of the left bank excavation pit at the construction site of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In the foreground, a tall wooden piledriver structure for driving sheet piling is visible, in the background — a temporary bridge for workers. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
But a conflict of interests flared up. The main part of the money, half a million rubles, was provided by the military department, which wanted to build a strategic crossing far from the center — opposite its summer camps. To defend the interests of Grodno residents, the full authority of the former head of the control chamber Mikhail Stoyanovsky and provincial architect Nikolai Romanov was needed. They managed to prove in St. Petersburg that the bridge should connect precisely the central districts.
In 1906, a grand construction began according to the project of engineer Palazouski under the supervision of engineer Niabolsin, the details of which we can examine in detail today thanks to the lens of young Valerian Lyakhnitsky.
The main engineering problem was the Neman's fast current and its unstable bottom. To securely place the supports — bridge piers — it was necessary to descend into the ground to a depth of five sazhens (more than ten meters) using caissons.
Schematic diagram of the structure for constructing caisson foundations
In Lyakhnitsky's photographs, we can see this technology in detail. Metal lock apparatuses, resembling massive hollow cylinders with hatches, were installed above the caissons and functioned as sealed airlocks. So that the river would not flood the working chamber at the bottom, powerful compressors had to continuously pump air into it. The worker entered the airlock, waited until the pressure equalized with the pressure in the caisson, and only then descended.
Bolting (connecting with bolts) during the assembly of the left caisson at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In a white student tunic of the Institute of Railway Engineers — Valerian Lyakhnitsky. The inscription "1907 River Neman" is visible on the metal body of the caisson. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
People dug the riverbed almost "dry," but were in absolutely hellish conditions: with one hundred percent humidity, heat, and under the constant threat of paralysis from caisson disease if they ascended to the surface too quickly.
Lowering of the left caisson on chains, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
When the caisson reached solid ground and was filled with concrete, the masonry of the supports themselves began. The facing of the supports was laid from carefully fitted dressed rubble stone. But contrasting with them were geometrically precise, light, meticulously processed large blocks of ice-breakers (cutwaters). These wedge-shaped cutwaters, directed against the current, had to be laid perfectly, without the slightest gaps. Among the clever engineering solutions that allowed the support to withstand the colossal pressure of ice was the inclined masonry of the cutwaters, which required non-trivial knowledge from masons. It is interesting that Lyakhnitsky recorded not only the processing, delivery, and masonry of the supports from these stones, but even such a unique thing as a wooden model of such a cutwater on a one-to-five scale.
Wooden model of an ice-breaker (cutwater) on a 1:5 scale, created for precise calculation of block geometry before the start of stone works, 1908. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Masonry of the tenth row of the cutwater of the left support of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In the photo, the numbering of the granite blocks of the cutwater and the stones of the main masonry with edges processed along the perimeter are visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Construction was accompanied by large-scale ancillary works: the Neman was enveloped in a complex web of wooden scaffolding, and piledrivers drove piles into the bottom. Later, openwork metal trusses, manufactured by the Warsaw firm "Rudzki and K," were laid on the finished stone supports, and the cast fence was cast at the local Grodno factory of Galsky and at Vyachorka's enterprise from Bialystok. The roadway was paved with stone and illuminated with gas lamps.
A team of workers preparing construction mortar at the construction site of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. A man in a work apron mixes mortar in a wooden trough. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Most of Lyakhnitsky's photos date to 1907. He was in Grodno once more in 1908 and recorded already completed supports, but still without metal trusses. In the same year, he also visited the construction of a bridge in Warsaw.
In the summer of 1909, the bridge underwent rigorous testing: three heavy artillery batteries were driven across it simultaneously, along with which the builders themselves stood under the spans, guaranteeing quality with their lives. And on July 24, the crossing, named Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky, was solemnly opened.
General view of the finished river and right bank supports of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge from the left bank of the Neman, 1908. In the background, the Farny and Bernardine Churches are visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
What remained of the work of pre-revolutionary masters
The engineering marvel, whose appearance student Lyakhnitsky so curiously recorded, was not destined to stand long in its pristine beauty. Already in 1915, Russian sappers, retreating from Grodno, turned the bridge into ruins. In 1935, under Polish rule, the crossing was brought back to life under the name of Piłsudski, but in the summer of 1944, German troops, fleeing the city, blew up its spans.
The restoration of the bridge in the post-war period required no less effort than its original construction. The project was significantly altered. According to official information, traffic was reopened on October 30, 1949, however, eyewitnesses claim that the real, very modest opening only took place in the spring of 1950. The builders simply did not make it by the appointed celebratory date — the bridge's 40th anniversary.
Today's bridge is the result of another large-scale reconstruction in 2008. Then the city abandoned the idea of demolition, preserving the old supports, but raising the roadway above the river and widening it to four lanes.
Self-portrait of Valerian Lyakhnitsky in the uniform of a student of the Institute of Railway Engineers, taken in Grodno in 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Self-portrait of Valerian Lyakhnitsky, a student of the Institute of Railway Engineers, against the background of wooden construction scaffolding, Grodno, 1908. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
A special construction site for processing and storing granite blocks of ice-breakers (cutwaters) on the left bank of the Neman, 1907. Hewn wedge-shaped stones with numbering await shipment to the bridge piers. In the distance, the historical center of Grodno is visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Narrow-gauge railway tracks on the left bank of the Neman during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Along the tracks are stacked granite blocks for facing the supports. In the background, temporary wooden barracks are visible, and across the river rises the silhouette of the Bernardine church. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
A massive figured granite block, likely the final element of the bridge pier's cutwater, on a wooden cart during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Group of people (possibly engineers and supervisors) on a rail platform with processed granite blocks for the cutwater at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
A massive, processed granite stone, on temporary wooden scaffolding. It occupies a place at the breakpoint of the cutwater, where the vertical plane transitions into an inclined one. 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of lowering a massive granite stone of the cutwater onto the left support (pier) of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of masonry of the river pier's (bull's) cutwater of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Workers lower the facing stone into its place in the masonry. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Working moment of masonry of a stone structure at the construction site of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. A team of masons poses among the stone blocks. The photo clearly shows a stretched string-line for leveling the masonry, construction hammers, and fresh mortar. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Detail of the bridge pier's facing masonry in close-up, 1907. To maintain an even thickness of joints before the mortar hardened, wooden wedges were inserted between the granite blocks. On the stones lie the mason's tools — a trowel and a hammer. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the left excavation pit during preparatory and earthworks at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Large-scale earthworks during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view from the Neman River of the masonry of the left support during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Earthworks on the fourth tier of the left bank excavation pit of the Neman during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Workers pose in the water and mud inside the excavation pit, the walls of which are reinforced with wooden sheet piling. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Earth and construction works in the excavation pit on the bank of the Neman during the erection of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of driving sheet piling using a wooden piledriver on the left bank of the Neman, 1907. In the background, a temporary bridge for workers and a panorama of the historical center of Grodno are visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Working moment of concreting the excavation pit on the left bank of the Neman during the erection of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Binding of a diagonal strut of assembly scaffolding in a horizontal position, 1908. In the background on the left, the silhouette of the railway bridge is visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of lifting a diagonal strut using a winch installed on the bank support, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the massive wooden scaffolding built over the caissons during the erection of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the wooden caisson scaffolding of the right caisson, 1907. In the background — a panorama of the historical center of Grodno. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Wooden scaffolding being erected over the right caisson during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In the foreground — barrels with construction materials. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the large-scale wooden scaffolding erected over the left caisson during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the caisson scaffolding and the inclined footbridge which connected them to the bank, during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In the background — a panorama of the historical center of the city. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the inclined plane of the temporary footbridge on the left bank of the Neman, 1907. This wooden overpass was used for lowering construction materials from the high hill of Zaniomansky Forstadt directly to the place of support erection. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Lifting mechanism "Liders Block" (chain hoist), which was used for lifting heavy loads during the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Machine room of the temporary power station of the firm "Rudzki and K°", which supplied energy to the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. The photo shows a dynamo machine, drive belts, and distribution boards. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Metal caisson lock without a platform at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Metal locks on the left caisson during their adjustment and installation at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Detail of the caisson lock apparatus equipment at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. On the riveted metal body, a manometer for air pressure control and a lever valve with a counterweight are visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Device used during the construction of the bridge in Grodno. Probably, this is an electric winch with a gear transmission, installed on the riveted metal body of the caisson lock apparatus. 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
System of lock apparatuses of the left caisson inside multi-tiered wooden scaffolding, 1907. In the foreground — a lock with an installed electric winch, in the background — a lock with a central shaft pipe. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the caisson, taken from the upper tier of construction scaffolding during the erection of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Masonry inside the metal pontoon sheathing of the left caisson at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. In the center, the vertical shaft pipe of the caisson is visible, on the right — students in white tunics. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of assembling the ceiling of the right caisson — a strong metal structure of horizontal beams, which served as a foundation for the future stone support of the bridge. Grodno, 1907. Workers pose with tools in the open sections of the structure. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Unsuccessful attempt to photograph the interior of the working chamber of the left caisson at the bottom of the Neman, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Construction of the river pier of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge against the background of the historical panorama of Grodno, 1907. In the background, the Old and New Castles are visible, as well as the buildings of Kuntz Brewery. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
The process of masonry of the reverse relief arch of the left bank support of the bridge, 1907. This stone arch in the foundation of the support served for uniform weight distribution and increasing its strength. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Erection of the bank support (abutment) of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge with an arched span for passage, 1907. The slopes are reinforced using fascine laying. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Masonry of a stone culvert near the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1908. In the photo, a worker lays the arch vault, which temporarily rests on wooden formwork. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Workers pave with stone the access roads to the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1908. In the background — a railway embankment with a guard booth. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Group of people at the construction site of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. The intern student Valerian Lyakhnitsky is present in the photo (standing in a white tunic). Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Construction workers with a trolley at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Workers at the construction of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Engineering students and workers on wooden decking during preparations for lowering the left caisson, 1907. In the center in a white tunic — Valerian Lyakhnitsky. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Scaffolding over the left caisson, 1907. In the foreground — sections of metal shaft pipes awaiting installation. In a white tunic, apparently, intern student Valerian Lyakhnitsky. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Group portrait on the metal beams of the "ceiling" of the right caisson, 1907. Among the workers with tools and engineers, a group of elegantly dressed ladies poses. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Group portrait on the caisson ceiling, 1907. The photo is placed in an original passepartout with an Art Nouveau style ornament. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Elegantly dressed ladies on the construction scaffolding near the descending left caisson during the erection of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1907. The construction site also served as a peculiar excursion area for relatives of the engineering management. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Guests on the upper tier of wooden scaffolding above the caisson, 1907. The photo shows that the construction site also served as a place for visits by respectable public. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Completed left river support (pier) of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge in Grodno, 1908. The photo clearly shows the contrast between the rough, "torn" texture of the stone masonry of the support and the perfectly smooth surface of the granite cutwater. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
Right bank support (abutment) of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge, 1908. The date of completion of the main works — "1908" — is carved on the keystone of the arch. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the finished river supports (piers) and the left bank support of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge from the right bank of the Neman, 1908. The contrast between the roughly hewn stones, from which the supports are externally laid, and the precisely processed granite blocks of the cutwaters is clearly visible. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
General view of the completed supports of the Petrovsko-Nikolaevsky Bridge from the left bank of the Neman, 1908. In the background — a panorama of the historical center of Grodno. Photo: Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation / Valerian Lyakhnitsky
aleh, Касьцёл Найсьвяцейшай Панны Марыі (Фара Вітаўта) быў зьнішчаны трохі пазьней - у ноч з 28 на 29 лістапада 1961. Грымела так, што на нашай вуліцы Маставой у дамах шыбы павыляталі. Усе думалі - вайна ізноў пачалася. А насамрэч - гэта новыя рускія, ці адноўленыя імпэрцы, або чырвоныя д'яблы... як там іх яшчэ... маскалі, карацей - патаемна намагаліся зруйнаваць Сьвятыню. Падрывалі накіраванымі выбухамі. Тры разы. Адмысловую сапёрку (не блытаць з вайсковай міні-рыдлёўкай, проста так зараз модна пісаць) з Ленінграда выпісалі. Але храм не разваліўся, а толькі асеў. Далей яго разьбіралі ўручную. Побач з Фарай Вітаўна знаходзілася наша старажытная Ратуша. Яе бальшавікі таксама не пашкадавалі. І зрабілі на гэтым месцы... што? правільна! прыбіральню((( Зараз, пры лукашыстах, так кветнік.
Now reading
Rains undermined the Orzeszkowa monument in Hrodna, but it was timely saved
Four Belarusians died in an accident in Georgia
Ukraine's Ambassador for Belarus Issues: Kyiv Can Meet Lukashenka If It Saves Lives
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is left without a fiancé
2828
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is left without a fiancé
28
A Belarusian stopped paying for his mortgage in Crimea back in 2014. And the court simply gave him the apartment.
66
A Belarusian stopped paying for his mortgage in Crimea back in 2014. And the court simply gave him the apartment.
6
"Send her to the army on the border with Ukraine." Chamadanava went scything, ruined the grass, and amused people VIDEO
2121
"Send her to the army on the border with Ukraine." Chamadanava went scything, ruined the grass, and amused people VIDEO
21
Zelenskyy announced a strike on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk
22
Zelenskyy announced a strike on the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk
2
In Loshytski Park, the ruined chapel and mill will be restored. What they will look like after reconstruction
66
In Loshytski Park, the ruined chapel and mill will be restored. What they will look like after reconstruction
6
"I can't take these cadences anymore." The wife of a Belarusian long-haul truck driver asked where her husband could find a job to be closer to home
66
"I can't take these cadences anymore." The wife of a Belarusian long-haul truck driver asked where her husband could find a job to be closer to home
6
Anne Hathaway criticized on social media for 'fake belly'
55
Anne Hathaway criticized on social media for 'fake belly'
5
"I can't take these cadences anymore." The wife of a Belarusian long-haul truck driver asked where her husband could find a job to be closer to home
66
"I can't take these cadences anymore." The wife of a Belarusian long-haul truck driver asked where her husband could find a job to be closer to home
6
Comments
Побач з Фарай Вітаўна знаходзілася наша старажытная Ратуша. Яе бальшавікі таксама не пашкадавалі. І зрабілі на гэтым месцы... што? правільна! прыбіральню((( Зараз, пры лукашыстах, так кветнік.