It’s hardly a secret that Saint Petersburg is a city of bridges. That’s truly the case — more than three hundred pedestrian, road, and railway crossings span its many rivers and canals.
The city is inseparable from water: the majestic Neva flows right through its center, and the city’s founder, Tsar Peter, did everything he could to ensure that people moved around not by land but along the new capital’s waterways.
In 1716, on the site of the former Salt Town (across from today’s Summer Garden), the Particuliar Shipyard was established by order of the future emperor. Vessels built there were distributed for use by various institutions and prominent city residents. Moreover, every Sunday, sailing outings were held on the Neva — and participation by ship owners was mandatory.
Saint Petersburg has many well-known tourist spots connected with bridges and canals, and today I’d like to tell you about one of them — popularly known as “Semimostye,” or “the place of seven bridges.”
“Semimostye” — a place where wishes come true
Why is this spot so popular among visitors and locals? I think the name itself gives it away — from one point here, you can see all seven nearby bridges: Kashin, Novo-Nikolsky, Krasnogvardeysky, Smezhny, Mogilyovsky, Pikalov, and Staro-Nikolsky. It’s from the latter that this striking view opens.
According to a city legend, wishes made at “Semimostye” always come true. Some people simply come to stand on the bridge and hope for their dream to be fulfilled, others insist you must look at each bridge and repeat your wish silently. Some even claim that you must come precisely at seven o’clock in the evening on the seventh of July. I don’t know whether any of that is true, but I’m sure of one thing: if a person believes in something (and puts in a bit of effort), sooner or later it’s bound to come true. And even if not — a beautiful walk and amazing views of the canals and bridges are guaranteed.
How to get there
Staro-Nikolsky Bridge is located on Sadovaya Street, which leads here from the 1st Sadovy Bridge near the Engineers’ Castle. In warm weather, you can reach “Semimostye” with a pleasant 20-minute walk from the Spasskaya — Sadovaya — Sennaya Ploshchad metro interchange. The distance is about 1,200 meters.
In winter, you can get here by bus or taxi. Nearby is the public transport stop “Nikolskaya Square / Novo-Nikolsky Bridge,” and if you’re taking a taxi, you can simply name the Holiday Inn Express hotel — it’s just a few meters from the bridge.
Within walking distance from “Semimostye” are the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral, the Yusupov Palace on the Moika, and the Museum of Railway Transport. After making your wish, you’ll easily have time to visit one of these attractions.
In short:
- a beautiful spot with an interesting legend;
- about a 20-minute walk from the metro;
- easy to combine with other sights of Saint Petersburg.
