Neogothic architecture. Russian Pseudo-Gothic and European Neo-Gothic: Architectural Cousins

Neo-Gothic is an architectural style that appeared in England in the 18th century. Associated with the interest of the general public in the chivalric culture that dominated Western Europe from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The starting point for the emergence of neo-Gothic was the construction on the estate of Strawberry Hill, near London, a building stylized as gothic castle. The owner of the house and the ideological inspirer of this project was the writer-historian Horace Wappole, who was passionate about medieval architecture. In Britain, where there are many fine examples of the Gothic style, such buildings were considered an integral part of national history and culture. In this regard, the construction of a house designed in the spirit of ancient cathedrals and castles attracted everyone's attention, became a bright event. cultural life of that time and served as an impetus for the development of neo gothic architecture not only in England, but also in European countries.

Despite the fact that the principles of construction in the 18-19 centuries were already different, and individual elements of buildings made in neogothic style, were in fact alien to medieval Gothic, contemporaries perceived the departure from strict adherence to style as a necessity, and not as an unfortunate mistake of architects. It was not about literally reproducing Gothic architecture, but about copying patterns and forms, using more modern knowledge and technology.

Mixed in Neo-Gothic different styles and directions related to different eras and countries, as well as mixed methods of building cathedrals and castles (which was unacceptable in the Middle Ages). For example, during the formative years of the style during the construction of a residential building, its doors could be made as portals of cathedrals, and bedrooms with their wall paintings could resemble tombs.

Over time, eclecticism was creatively reworked, and architects developed universal requirements for a new style. The main feature of Neo-Gothic architecture is its use as structural element frame vault. Other elements have also been adapted medieval architecture: battlements, stained-glass windows, stucco, lancet arches, high elongated pediments, turrets, internal columns, narrow windows, heraldic motifs.

The heyday of neo-Gothic dates back to the 19th century. Architects sought to create unusual, romantic buildings, catering to the taste of the public of the time, inspired by medieval aesthetics. The construction of both residential and public buildings was actively going on - cathedrals, government buildings, universities, schools, town halls, and railway stations were erected. Return to gothic style felt like a return to basics. In addition, the Gothic Revival marked a departure from previously popular styles that drew inspiration from classical forms. ancient greece and Rome.

The neo-Gothic was celebrated by the construction of the Palace of Westminster in London. This happened after the British Parliament burned down in a fire in 1834. A special royal commission decided that the palace needed to be rebuilt on the same site, while the new building should organically fit into the urban landscape of the historic center of the English capital. The commission announced a competition for which almost 100 projects were submitted. The proposal of Charles Barry, who proposed to erect the building in the spirit of the best achievements of English Gothic, was recognized as the best. After years building along the Thames stretched out a massive, majestic palace. Its facade is adorned and balanced by two towers located in its northern and southern parts. The palace, despite its size, does not overwhelm with its size, but gives the impression of classical austerity. It's all about the right proportions.

In the middle of the 19th century, the British cabinet officially adopted neo-Gothic as the national architectural style. In the future, neo-Gothic ideas were creatively accepted by the architects of France, Germany, Austria, Russia, as well as the English and French colonies - in this regard, beautiful examples of the neo-Gothic style can be found in the New World.

Neo-Gothic was recognized as the ideal style for countryside: its complex and irregular shapes fit perfectly into the natural landscape. Also new style was popular for the construction of churches, where elements such as openwork high windows, turrets, stained-glass windows, lancet arches, and spiers were actively used.

Most prime example neo-gothic architecture in Germany - Cologne Cathedral, one of the tallest and most massive buildings of the 19th century. German architects also designed such masterpieces of world architecture as the castle in Schwangau and the incredible beauty of Neuschwanstein Castle, built on the site of a destroyed knight's watchtower.

In Cardiff (England), Cardiff Castle (in the city center) and Coch Castle, or Red Castle, which is located in the suburbs, have been restored. In the 20th and 21st century, Koch Castle has been the setting for historical and fairy tale films several times.

One of the masterpieces of neo-Gothic architecture is the Parliament building in Hungary (Budapest). This is one of the most beautiful government buildings in the world. The graceful turrets of the parliament, located on the banks of the Danube, are spectacularly reflected in the water, and sharp spiers - an indispensable attribute of the neo-Gothic style - make the silhouette light, directed to the sky. During the construction of the Hungarian Parliament, 40 million bricks were used, 500 thousand precious stones and 40 kilograms of gold.

Beginning in the second half of the 18th century, Neo-Gothic becomes popular in Russia. Initially, construction began in the west of the country Catholic churches in the neo-Gothic style, then the fashion for “knightly” architecture expanded: architects began to build private and profitable city mansions, as well as manor houses in wealthy estates using Gothic forms. Profitable houses in Moscow and especially St. Petersburg were distinguished by luxurious front porches, lancet windows, richly decorated gables, spiers and turrets.

An interesting example of the Russian Neo-Gothic of the mid-19th century is the complex of buildings erected in Peterhof. Among them are the chapel in the Alexandria park, decorated with many decorative elements made of cast iron, the Farm Palace, the Cottage Palace, as well as the railway station, post office and imperial stables.

Romanticism replaces the Age of Enlightenment and coincides with the Industrial Revolution, marked by the emergence of steam engine, steam locomotive, steamship, photography and factory outskirts. If the Enlightenment is characterized by the cult of reason and civilization based on its principles, then romanticism affirms the cult of nature, feelings and the natural in man. It was in the era of romanticism that the phenomena of tourism, mountaineering and picnics were formed, designed to restore the unity of man and nature. The image of the “noble savage”, armed with “folk wisdom” and not spoiled by civilization, is in demand.

Romanticism (French romantisme), an ideological and artistic direction in the European and American spiritual culture of the end. 18 - 1st floor. 19th centuries Romanticism is a kind of reaction to French Revolution(Karl Marx).

The great French bourgeois revolution ended the Age of Enlightenment. Writers, artists, musicians witnessed grandiose historical events, revolutionary upheavals that unrecognizably transformed life. Many of them enthusiastically welcomed the changes, admired the proclamation of the ideas of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Romantics often idealized a patriarchal society, in which they saw the kingdom of kindness, sincerity, and decency. Poetizing the past, they went into ancient legends, folk tales. Romanticism has received its own face in every culture: among the Germans, in mysticism; for the British - in a person who will oppose himself to reasonable behavior; the French - in unusual stories. What united all this in one trend - romanticism?

Before the revolution, the world was ordered, there was a clear hierarchy in it, each person took his place. The revolution overturned the "pyramid" of society, a new one has not yet been created, so the individual has a feeling of loneliness. Life is a flow, life is a game in which someone is lucky and someone is not

The painful discord between the ideal and social reality is the basis of the romantic worldview and art. Reflecting disappointment in the results of the French Revolution, in the ideology of the Enlightenment and social progress, romanticism opposed utilitarianism and the leveling of the individual with the desire for unlimited freedom and the "endless" thirst for perfection and renewal, the pathos of personal and civil independence.

Consider the difference between romanticism and classicism. We will see that classicism divides everything in a straight line, into good and bad, into black and white. Romanticism divides nothing in a straight line. Classicism is a system, but romanticism is not. The main task of romanticism was the image of the inner world, mental life, and this could be done on the material of stories, mysticism, etc. characteristic of romanticism inner world man was expressed in the cult of the subjective, the craving for the emotionally intense. It was necessary to show the paradox of this inner life, its irrationality.

The affirmation of the inherent value of the spiritual and creative life of the individual, the image of strong passions, spiritualized and healing nature, for many romantics - the heroes of protest or struggle are adjacent to the motives of "world sorrow", "world evil", the "night" side of the soul, dressed in the forms of irony, grotesque poetics of duality.

Interest in the national past (often its idealization), traditions of folklore and culture of one’s own and other peoples, the desire to create a universal picture of the world (primarily history and literature), the idea of ​​art synthesis found expression in the ideology and practice of romanticism.

Characteristic features of the style of romanticism

The creative problems of romanticism compared with classicism were more complex and not so unambiguous. Romanticism at its very beginning was more of an artistic movement than a doctrine of a particular style. Therefore, it is only possible with great difficulty to classify its manifestations and consider consistently the history of development until the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries.

Romanticism at first had a lively, changeable character, preached individualism and creative freedom. He recognized the value of cultures that were significantly different from Greek - Roman antiquity. Much attention was paid to the cultures of the East, whose artistic and architectural motifs adapted to European taste.

There is a reassessment of the architecture of the Middle Ages and the technical and artistic achievements of the Gothic are recognized. The concept of connection with nature gives rise to the concept of the English park and the popularity of the free compositions of the Chinese or Japanese garden.

AT fine arts romanticism was most clearly manifested in painting and graphics, less clearly - in sculpture and architecture (for example, false Gothic). Most of the national schools of romanticism in the visual arts developed in the struggle against official academic classicism.

The main representatives of romanticism in the visual arts are the painters E. Delacroix, T. Gericault, F. O. Runge, K. D. Friedrich, J. Constable, W. Turner, in Russia - O. A. Kiprensky, A. O. Orlovsky . The theoretical foundations of romanticism were formed by F. and A. Schlegel and F. Schelling.

Building features of romanticism

The development of classicism and romanticism in architecture coincided with the beginning of the use of new designs, building materials and construction methods. AT late XVIII and the beginning of the 19th century. metal structures were most common in England and France.

Initially, they were used in various engineering structures, which was accompanied by the development of scientific theories in this area. The issue of creating a metal bridge was first considered by French engineers in 1719, and then again in 1755. However, the widespread use of these designs became possible with the advent of cheap technology for producing iron, first in the form of cast iron, and later steel.

Instead of the simplicity and isolation of the architectural form of classicism, romanticism offers a complex silhouette, richness of forms, freedom of planning, in which symmetry and other formal compositional principles lose their dominant importance. Despite the fact that romanticism aroused widespread interest in different cultures, which had previously been far from Europeans, Gothic became the main one for him in architecture.

At the same time, it seemed important not only to study it, but also to adapt it to modern problems. Gothic artistic motifs were already used in the Baroque (for example, by J. Santini), but only in the 19th century. they are widely distributed. At the same time, there are sprouts of a conscious movement for the protection of architectural monuments and their reconstruction.

Types of buildings in the style of romanticism

The first cast-iron bridge was constructed only in 1779. It was a bridge over the River Severn in England. It had a short length (30.62 m), but already at the end of the century they began to build cast-iron bridges over 70 m long, for example, Sunderland Bridge in England (1793 - 1796).

From the end of the XVIII century. cast iron is being used in the construction of buildings. Of particular interest for that time was the project of a warehouse building in Manchester (1801), which was decided in the form of an eight-story cast-iron frame, as well as docks in Liverpool and London. In England, cast-iron structures of cathedrals appeared already in the 80s of the XVIII century, for example, in Liverpool.

Neo-Gothic or pseudo-Gothic (from Italian gotiko - "barbarian", neos - "new") - a trend in the architecture of the XVIII-XIX centuries, reviving the forms and design features of medieval Gothic. The Neo-Gothic style developed in an era of intensive development of capitalist relations, the emergence of imperialism and the colonization of continents by Europeans.

Neo-Gothic originated in the 40s. 18th century in Great Britain, where the traditions of Gothic art were strongest, along with the flourishing of landscape art and the "poeticization" of the medieval era. The Neo-Gothic style was most widespread in the Holy Roman Empire, France, Italy, Spain, as well as in the colonial possessions of Great Britain, which erected many public buildings in the metropolises.

Neo-Gothic was recognized as an exemplary style for the construction of Catholic and Protestant churches, as well as for large public buildings, country houses. At this time, monuments of medieval architecture were intensively completed and restored. For the European Neo-Gothic of the nineteenth century. characteristic is the desire to revive the integrity of artistic thinking characteristic of Gothic art, the awareness of the aesthetic value of the frame structure, along with the widespread use of cast-iron structures. The decline of the Neo-Gothic style in Europe came at the beginning of the century, when the excessive Gothic decor was replaced by the strict forms of the Romanesque style.

Unlike Europe, all neo-Gothic churches in Belarus were built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, which is associated with the ban on the construction of churches, which the Russian Emperor Nicholas II canceled only in 1905 with the famous Manifesto. After that, Catholic churches in the neo-Gothic style began to be built everywhere on the territory of Belarus. Three of the tallest places of worship in Belarus were built in the Neo-Gothic style: the Trinity Church in Gervyaty, the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Zhuprany, the Church of St. Vladislav in Subotniki.

Neoclassicism

(Neoclassicism)- aesthetic direction that dominated in European art at the end of the 18th century - early. 19th century, which was characterized by an appeal to antiquity, and differed from classicism 17

century - early 18th century. In France, within the framework of neoclassicism, the style of Louis XVI, regency, Directory and Empire style arose; in England - the style of Adam, Hepplewhite and Sheraton in furniture business.

In the middle XVIII century in Italy, the first archaeological excavations of ancient monuments began, and all the largest representatives of English neoclassicism visited Rome. They went there to see the ruins of ancient buildings and to perceive the true spirit of antiquity. Many English architects also went to Greece, where they studied ancient Greek buildings, which were practically unknown at that time.

Neoclassicism most clearly manifested itself, apparently, in architecture, which is confirmed by the work of the brothers Adam John Nash, Alexander Thompson in England; Langhans in Germany, Jean-Francois Chalgrin, Alexandre-Théodore Brongniard, Ledoux in France and Andrey Zakharov in Russia.

Among the pioneers of neoclassicism should be called Jacques Ange Gabriel, who planned the Place de la Concorde in 1754, and his Petit Trianon at Versailles was considered the most perfect example of "attica" in French architecture. Of course, one cannot fail to mention Souflot, who introduced elements of a new aesthetic into the plans for the reconstruction of Paris.

If in France neoclassicism found its expression mainly in the designs of public buildings, then in England architects built private estates and city houses in this style. Their very manner was different from the French. In France, neoclassicism acquired harsh, sometimes heavy forms, while in England, on the contrary, all buildings were lighter and more elegant. English neoclassical interiors are especially famous: always bright and decorative, they seemed to want to please the owners of houses and their guests.

The most important role in the architecture of English neoclassicism was played by two masters - William Chambers (1723-1796) and Robert Adam (1728-1792).

Neoclassicism

"style of Adam" in honor of its creator. In 1754-1756. Robert Adam traveled to Italy and returned from there a passionate admirer of antiquity.

In his work, the influence of English Palladianism was also felt. However, his style was very distinctive and easily recognizable.

Neoclassic" is a term adopted in modern art history to refer to artistic phenomena of the last third of the 19th-20th centuries, different in social orientation and ideological content, which are characterized by an appeal to the traditions of ancient art.

often referred to simply

eclectic and modernist architecture

In a number of countries, neoclassicism of this period used new constructive techniques developed by "

modern",

In Russian architecture of the 1910s. the prevailing desire was to establish the basic principles of architectural classics (I. A. Fomin, I. V. Zholtovsky, V. A. Shchuko and others), although in the same years representatives of Russian modernism also turned to the stylization of classical motifs (F. O. Shekhtep, F. I. Lidval, S. U. Soloviev, etc.). In the USA, France and Great Britain, neoclassicism of the 1910-30s. It developed mainly in official architecture and was distinguished by ceremonial representativeness and emphasized monumentality.

In the 1930s the means of neoclassicism, in their hypertrophied-monumental, emphatically coarsened forms, were widely used in the architecture of Italy (M. Piacentini and others) and Germany (P. L. Trost and others) to create structures that served the purposes of propagating fascist ideology.

The principles of neoclassicism also had a certain influence on the development of Soviet architecture in the 2nd half of the 1930s and early 1950s, as well as the architecture of the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Bulgaria, Hungary, where they were often combined with an appeal to the motives of national architecture.

Since the end of the 50s. Neoclassicism developed predominantly in US architecture; among the most significant structures of this direction in the official and commercial

construction -

Lincoln Center in New York (1960s, architects F. Johnson, W. Harrison, M. Abramowitz, E. Saarinen), whose buildings form a strict and symmetrical frame of a rectangular square.

Palace "Peter Trianon" in Versailles

To the right of the Grand Canal of Versailles is the Trianon complex, consisting of the Grand and Petit Palaces with their own garden setting. The Small Palace, or Petit Trianon, is a true masterpiece of French neoclassicism of the 18th century.

In 1761, Madame de Pompadour suggested to Louis XV the idea of ​​building a palace in the French Garden. Two years later, the king decided to fulfill the request of the favorite. The project is entrusted to Gabriel Jacques Anjou (1698-1782). In 1763, construction began, and already in 1768 the Petit Trianon was solemnly opened. But Madame de Pompadour was not destined to use the castle - she did not live 4 years before the completion of construction.

This masterpiece of neoclassical architecture is without a doubt Gabriel's finest creation. The building, located on a square platform, rests on a plinth, above it rises a floor and an attic, which ends with a balustrade that hides the roof in the Italian style. Due to the unevenness of the relief, the basement level is visible only from the side of the facade overlooking the Front Courtyard, as well as from the side of the Temple of Amur. The facades are decorated with pilasters and powerful Corinthian columns.

The facades of the building, which is square in plan, are made according to the same compositional scheme. The interior of the palace is decorated in the style

The proportions of the Petit Trianon are classically clear and noblely simple. This monument of world architecture embodies the idea of ​​intimate comfort, achievable only in unity with nature. Bridges over seemingly overgrown canals, pavilions arranged on seemingly wild islands, trees growing in precisely calculated disorder, give the ensemble a charm of genuine romance.

Later, a mill, a poultry house and a dairy farm appeared in the royal village (1783-1786). Now in this place, guides usually tell visitors an entertaining story that cups are kept here, their shape representing a cast from the breasts of Marie Antoinette.

From these cups, the queen in "her dairy" loved to treat guests with milk from her cows. The guides also say that the private royal chambers subsequently often served as a place for scandalous adventures of influential people who came here to spend a comfortable night.

Queen Marie Antoinette was strongly influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's idea of ​​the need to return to

"untouched nature".

She tried her best to learn how to provide at least her family with agricultural products by her own work: she looked after the cows, milked and fed them from the royal table. However revolutionary people for some reason regarded her works as a refined mockery of the starving Paris.

The emergence of neoclassicism (as a programmatic appeal to the art of the past) is due to the desire to oppose some "eternal" aesthetic values ​​to disturbing and contradictory reality. The ideological and formal structure of currents based on the search for a direct correspondence to reality in neoclassicism is opposed by the ideality and majesty of forms and images, "purified" from concrete historical content.

In the architecture of neoclassicism, 3 periods are distinguished: the first (around 1910 - mid-1920s), the second (mainly the 1930s) and the third (beginning in the late 1950s). In the first period, the logic of the organization of the classical form and its laconicism were put forward as an antithesis to stylistic arbitrariness and excessive decorativeness.

The age of the rapid industrial revolution and the subsequent processes of urbanization, the scale of which no one could have predicted at the beginning, decisively changed the landscape of the city and the countryside. Maybe more so than any other form artistic creativity, the architecture reflected the controversial aspects of the time.

An urgent need and because of new needs, and as a result of the emergence of new materials and technical means provided by industry, however long time architectural thought was shackled traditional concepts. Even in the middle of the nineteenth century. projects in the neoclassical style were widely implemented, i.e. it was a question of offering sought-after neo-Greek or neo-gothic architectural modules. Only in the second half of the 19th century, there were shifts in architectural design associated with the use of previously never used together.

Origins of the Neo-Gothic

During the nineteenth century. cultural phenomena of a retrospective nature repeatedly arose - with an appeal to the elements of Greek or Gothic architecture. One of the most notable among this kind of phenomena was neo-Gothic, which took off as a “Gothic revival”, gothic revival.

Origins in the 18th century. in England, where this trend was not interrupted, as a trend of the picturesque and sublime, and then it spread throughout Europe.

Neo-Gothic Features

The aspects and factors of the formation of the Neo-Gothic direction seem diverse and complex, but its very statement is definitely connected with romanticism, which saw one of the tasks of art in expressing the spirit of the people, and the architecture of the Middle Ages was considered precisely as a symbol of history and national tradition in different European countries, in obvious connection with the revival medieval spirit historical novel(beginning with Walter Scott) and romantic melodrama.

Others important aspect there was a flourishing - for the first time on a scientific foundation - of historical and critical research medieval art, with close study especially famous monuments, for the purpose of restoration practice, which was becoming increasingly widespread everywhere. But there were two countries where by the middle of the nineteenth century. Neo-Gothic reached the most bright results: This is England and France.

Gothic Revival in England

In England, ethical and social teachings played their role, which also affected the work of the London architect Augustus W. Pugin (1812-1852), the author, together with Charles Barry, of the Houses of Parliament in London (1836-1860), a masterpiece of English neo-Gothic.

Striving for an organic connection between architecture and society, Pugin emphasized the "moral" value of the Gothic and, at the same time, the dignity of its constructive system.

Neo-Gothic in France

In France, the architect, theorist and restorer Eugene Viollet-le-Duc (restoration of Notre Dame in Paris in 1845, the cathedral in Reims, the Abbey of Saint-Denis) considered the Gothic an example of constructive rationality, which is also important for the development of modern technology.

Viollet-le-Duc's widely used method of complementary, or interpretive, restoration, which is now considered unacceptable, emphasized his desire to give Gothic relevance to modern society.

In Italy, the strong position of the Classical and Renaissance traditions made it almost impossible to spread the neo-Gothic style, which is hardly represented by a few examples.

Gothic Revival in the USA

in the United States in the 19th century. Neo-Gothic revival was a manifestation of familiarity with European romanticism. Neo-Gothic (revivalism) was especially liked and influenced all of American secular and religious architecture. Main representatives: R. Upjohn, J. Renwick, A. J. Downing.

Neo-Gothic in architecture If at the beginning of the 18th century fashionable architectural trends throughout Great Britain were based on the classical aesthetics of Palladianism, then towards the end of the century, the interest of the British turned towards Gothic motifs. At first, the buildings looked like medieval temples only externally, but later neogothic style strengthened so much that it gave rise to the construction of many objects throughout the territory of the empire.

A typical example of an English building Victorian era became the Palace of Westminster. His appearance is still one of national symbols London and the country as a whole. However, the popularity of the Neo-Gothic also affected engineering structures, as evidenced by the majestic Tower Bridge.

From the great past to progress

The construction of the Tower Bridge was initiated in 1886 in connection with the urgent need for an additional crossing over the Thames to the London Bridge. Its construction was completed in 8 years: in 1894 the bridge was presented to the public. Key figures in its history are:

• H. Jones - the ideologist of the building, the architect of many buildings in London;
• D. Barry - an engineer who also worked on other bridges across the Thames;
• D. Stevenson is a Victorian architect who was appointed project manager after the death of H. Jones.

The characteristic neo-Gothic appearance of the structure is given by two pylons - beginning and closing the passage. tall towers with sharp spiers and sculpture stylized as the Middle Ages. The very fact of their presence already indicates a relationship with the design features of the bridges of feudal times. If then the bridge towers were built to provide control and protection of the passage, now the pylons support the sidewalks at a high level from the river.

Possessing a frame system of the device, these elements of the Tower Bridge have rather thin walls with large window openings. This specificity clearly proves that gothic and neo-gothic genres related to each other. A good connection between the epochs is also shown by the presence of an exquisitely sublime decor on the walls, made in the facing of Portland limestone and Cornish granite - materials traditional for decorating medieval castles in England.

Interestingly, the bridge got its appearance not only due to fashion trends, but also due to its proximity to one of the oldest fortresses in Britain - the Tower. Against the background of the fact that even then its walls and towers had for the British sacred meaning, the desire of the authorities and citizens to build new objects in a similar style becomes quite obvious.

There is no barrel of honey without an admixture of tar: in terms of its dimensions, the Tower Bridge significantly exceeds not only the Tower itself, but also more modern, albeit ancient buildings. Such features of it contributed to the opinion that the structure spoils historical appearance London. However, if the bridge were smaller, then it would hardly have effectively coped with its tasks.

Advanced engineering solutions

According to the principle of its operation, the Tower Bridge is a movable structure of enormous power for the end of the 19th century: its spans with a total mass of over 11,000 tons are able to rise by 86 degrees. Hydraulic mechanisms were initially responsible for the process of opening the elements. The force for them was generated by four high-performance coal-fired steam engines.

In 1982, the breeding system was modernized and equipped with an electro-hydraulic gear drive, and in 2000 it was also automated. Outdated equipment is available to satisfy tourist interest. Museum platforms are laid out in the interiors of towers and former pedestrian galleries at a height.

The large bearing capacity of the spans is created through the use of a rod system, where the supporting elements were made of carbon steel. A multi-ton metal structure was installed on large piers, the manufacture of which required over 70,000 tons of concrete.

There are sidewalks along the roadway for walking. However, the main advantage of the Tower Bridge for pedestrians is the presence of special galleries, 44 meters away from the water surface of the river. In addition to the utilitarian function, these elements also had a decorative purpose.

For almost the entire duration of the 20th century, galleries became a haven for criminal elements, which forced them to be closed for use. They opened only in 1982: due to the equipment of the glass roof, their appearance approached the high-tech style, but this does not spoil the appearance of the majestic architectural ensemble.

The current state of the bridge

The architectural refinements of the finish, the ingenious design and the well-thought-out traffic management system make tower bridge in uk one of the most amazing buildings in the world. As before, its height allows free passage various kinds ships on the Thames. However, due to the partial loss of the significance of the river communication, and partly because of the desire to preserve the structure, it is now bred no more than 5 times in one week.

Tower Bridge today helps citizens solve the transport issue: more than 40,000 people per different form transport and on foot daily cross the river along it. Considering high load, the board of the City of London Corporation introduced restrictions on the speed and weight of vehicles - no more than 32 km / h and no heavier than 18 tons. Such measures are intended to preserve the original appearance of the sights of the capital.

The Tower Bridge impresses with its architecture and delights with its working principles. Imitating medieval architecture, the building is an example of the use of progressive technologies.

I bring to the attention of architecture lovers a small selection historical buildings educational institutions in style neogothic on the territory of Russia (dedicated tostart of the new school year).
Here are photographs of 20 buildings from various Russian cities, united by the fact that they are built in late XIX- early twentieth century in style eclecticism , which dominated Russia at that time, one of the manifestations of which is neo-Gothic.
The fact that Neo-Gothic style was widely popular among architects during this period is evidenced by the fact that buildings in the Neo-Gothic style were built throughout the country, and not only in the region that became Russian only in 1945 (Kaliningrad region), from Karelia and Central Russia to the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia.

Here is just a list of cities from this photo selection:
1. Grayvoron (Belgorod region);
2. Simferopol;
3. Sortavala (Karelia);
4. Vyborg (Karelia);
5. Ozersk (Kaliningrad region);
6. Sovetsk (Kaliningrad region);
7. Baltiysk (Kaliningrad region);
8. Kaliningrad;
9. Ulyanovsk;
10. Astrakhan;
11. Saratov;
12. Pyatigorsk;
13. Buzuluk ( Orenburg region);
14. Biysk (Altai Territory);
15. Omsk;
16. Barnaul;
17. Plavsk (Tula region).

And note that only buildings intended for educational institutions are presented here. And how many others there were - various administrative buildings, warehouses, factory buildings, etc., not to mention the churches and churches. And, as you probably already noticed, Moscow and St. Petersburg are not represented in the list of cities.

All photos showing the address of the object, the year of construction and in most cases the name of the architect.

2. The building of the parish school at the German Lutheran church (now - the Department of Justice), 1900, arch. V.A. Gekker.
Republic of Crimea, Simferopol, st. Dolgorukovskaya, 16. Photo: Yandex panorama.

3. The building of the Sortavala Women's Gymnasium (now - a branch of Petrozavodsk University), 1909-1911, architect. Y.Ya. Arenberg.
Republic of Karelia, Sortavalsky district, Sortavala, st. Gagarin, 14. Photo: Artem Neuer.

4. The complex of buildings of a real school (now - a technical school for environmental management), 1892.
Kaliningrad region, Ozersk, st. Border, 23. Photo:otp39.rf

5. Uhland School, People's School (now the Center for Education), 1895-1896.
Kaliningrad, Moskovsky pr-t, 98. Photo:on-walking.com

6. Saratov State Conservatory, 1902 / goth. rec. 1912, arch. A.Yu. Yagn / S.A. Kallistratov.
Saratov, Kirov Ave., 1. Photo:promodj.com

7. Building folk school Tilsit (now - a boarding school), 1905-1906.
Kaliningrad region, Sovetsk, st. Turgenev, 6 B. Photo: Igor Vishnyakov

8. The building of the Surveying School of Simbirsk (now - the educational building of UlSTU), 1913-1914.
Ulyanovsk, st. Engels, 3. Photo:fotokto.ru

9. Parish School at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the name of Jesus, 1908-1909, arch. S.I. Karyagin.
Astrakhan, st. Kazanskaya, 104. Photo:love-astrakhan.ru

10. Men's gymnasium (now - the school named after M.Yu. Lermontov), ​​1896-1903, architect. Ya.G. Lukashev.
Stavropol Territory, Pyatigorsk, avenue 40 years of October, 99. Photo:news-kmv.ru

11. The building of the women's gymnasium (now the Pedagogical College), 1902, arch. Jan Adamson.
Orenburg region, Buzuluk, st. M. Gorky, 59. Photo:theme-travel.com

12. The building of the Sortaval Lyceum (now the Sortaval College), 1901, arch. Y.Ya. Arenberg.
Republic of Karelia, Sortavalsky district, Sortavala, st. Gagarin, 12. Photo: Artem Neuer.

13. Real school them. A.S. Pushkin (now - the building of the geographical faculty of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University), 1902.
Altai Territory, Biysk, st. Sovetskaya, 11. Photo: Leonid Demidov

14. The building of the School of Communications Management (now the School of Arts), 1894.
Omsk, st. Marchenko, 1. Photo: Artem Neuer

15. Vyborg School of Coeducation (now the Palace of Creativity), 1903, arch. L. Iconen.