Hunchback Bridge (Gatchina)

The Hunchbacked Bridge, built in 1801 according to the design of architect Adrian Zakharov, is located in the Palace Park of Gatchina. Due to its distinctive silhouette, it is also known as the Venetian Bridge, and in 1960 it was recognized as a cultural heritage site of federal significance. The bridge offers views of the Gatchina Palace, the Chesme Obelisk, and the Pavilion of Venus. During the retreat of German troops, the structure was planned to be blown up — later, shafts for explosives were discovered in its abutments, and the appearance restored in the late 1960s was almost destroyed by vandals twenty years later.