In the plan of St. Petersburg, built by Peter I, the most important city highway passed through the Fontanka River (which was then called Bezymyanny Erik), and for unhindered traffic along Nevsky it was necessary to arrange a permanent crossing in this place. In 1715, Peter issued a decree on the construction of the bridge, and in May 1716 it was ready. The bridge was built by the Admiralty “working battalion”, commanded by engineer lieutenant colonel Mikhail Anichkov. The bridge got its name in his honor.

The first Anichkov Bridge was a simple wooden structure, which quickly deteriorated in the damp climate of the city. In 1719, it was strengthened and reconstructed by Hermann Van Boles, and in 1726 the bridge was made a drawbridge. At that time, the Fontanka River was the border of St. Petersburg, and on the Anichkov Bridge there was a post and a guard house. Here, visitors checked their passports and charged a fee for entering the city. It is interesting that payment was accepted not only with money, but also with stones that were necessary for paving the streets. At night, the bridge was raised to prevent wolves from entering the city.

The Anichkov bridge became a stone bridge in 1783-1787. It was rebuilt according to the standard design of Jean Perronet, and only the middle lift in it remained wooden. But half a century later, it became too narrow for the main street of St. Petersburg and by 1842 it was reconstructed and expanded according to the design of engineer Ivan Buttats and Alexander Reder. In the same years, the bridge was decorated with cast-iron bars depicting seahorses and mermaids, designed by the German artist Karl Schinkel, and the famous sculptural composition “The Taming of Horses” Peter Klodt. These elements gave the bridge an aesthetic finish and made it one of the unmistakably recognizable symbols of St. Petersburg.

The history of Anichkov Bridge is inextricably linked with the history of the city There was a time when it was called Anichkin, and this was almost officially established. But in 1912, the descendants of the Anichkov family filed a complaint with the city council, and the bridge was returned to its former name. Any resident of St. Petersburg of the older generation will tell you how during the Great Patriotic War horses from the Anichkov Bridge were buried in the courtyard of the Palace of Pioneers so that they would not be damaged by bombs, and will show a dent from fragment of an artillery shell on a granite pedestal. There are many anecdotes about the bridge and its sculptures (not always decent, but certainly witty), some of them are almost two hundred years old.