Greater Stone Bridge

The Bolshoy Kamenny or Great Stone Bridge runs directly beside the Moscow Kremlin across the Moskva river, linking the Borovitsky Gate to the Yakimanka district. The current steel arch was completed in 1938 under Stalin, designed by Vladimir Shchuko and Alexei Shchusev as part of the master plan to remake Moscow; it replaced an 1859 bridge by the Swiss engineer Wilhelm August Aman, which had in turn replaced a multi-arch stone bridge built in 1693 from which the name derives. The central arch spans 105 meters and is one of the city's great sight lines. Cars and trolley buses cross today, and for pedestrians the bridge is one of the classic photo spots for the Kremlin with the Cathedral of Christ the Savior behind.