We found this place by accident. One of my friends is as interested in early 20th century architecture as I am. We went to see one of the so-called "workers' towns". Such residential neighbourhoods usually appeared next to factories and mills. At the beginning of the 20th century, industry was developing very quickly, and there was a shortage of labourers. Entrepreneurs sought to increase the number of workers by attracting new personnel from the countryside. The settlers were in dire need of housing, and new houses and infrastructure were built especially for them.
This residential quarter was situated on the river bank and was built up with cosy two-storey cottages. They were intended for the workers of the old factory, which no longer operated in this place. We reached the boundary of the old settlement, and noticed a little further on, behind a strip of low trees and bushes, a metal openwork structure. From afar it was not very clear what these metal sticks and crossbars were, but we were not lazy to come closer.
At first sight the bridge seemed perfectly intact, and we kept looking round to avoid being hit by a train. But we soon took a closer look at the rails under our feet, and discovered that they were not continuous. This railway line is no longer used for its intended purpose, the bridge stands on the site as an informal monument to the time of the Industrial Revolution.
I searched for information and found out that the railway tracks led to the same old factory for which the houses of the settlement were built. When the factory moved to another site, that branch line became unnecessary. The bridge will probably be dismantled soon, but so far the wave of redevelopment has not reached it. The bridge serves as an exercise area for aspiring graffiti artists, but I didn't find any interesting drawings.
The place seemed deserted and desolate, but the narrow, well-trodden path ran along the railway tracks, and hence the locals use it to cut a corner and take the shortest route to the shopping mall or other infrastructure.
We were soon able to see that this was indeed the case: two women were walking towards us, and rolling their bags behind them on trolleys. They looked more like lost tourists than anything else, but I can hardly imagine how tourists could have got to this place. We walked this path the rest of the way, and eventually came to a remote residential neighbourhood. We met people twice more during our walk - but they were just ordinary locals walking their dogs.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |