Aptekarskaya Embankment

Aptekarskaya Embankment is located in the Petrogradsky district on the left bank of the Bolshay Neva River, on the eastern bank of Aptekarsky Island and it occupies the area from Grenadersky Bridge downstream to Akademik Pavlov street.

In 1714, under the decree of Peter the Great, Aptekarsky lane was created in this place for studying medical herbs. Now this name belongs to the island, embankment, bridge across the Karpovka River and the prospect.

In 1823 Botanical Museum was established on the basis of the garden. Currently it occupies the territory on the right bank of the Karpovka River to Aptekarsky Prospect and comes to the bank of the Bolshaya Nevka River, down to Professor Popov street. The former house of the garden’s director has remained (architect I. I. Charlemagne, 1828-1829) The building facing Aptekarskaya Embankment is a rare example of a living house with an attic in the style of classicism.

Development of Aptekarskaya Embankment started since 1970s, due to the construction of two downbridges across the Bolshaya Nevka River: new Grenadersky Bridge and Kantermirovsky Bridge. During the same time the embankment wall was erected.

The first section of the embankment was erected by Leningrad Mostoproezd M-428 in 1971-1973 opposite to Krasnogvardeyets Association. This is a high wall, its prefabricated blocks faced with granite are fastened on the high pile grillage. The project provided cast iron railings with granite bollards.  By the moment of the facility commissioning they were not ready, it was decided to replace them with temporary steel railings, but those were not ready as well. Only in 1983, the permanent cast iron railings were installed.

When constructing the group of Grenadersky and Aptekarsky Bridges, the adjacent territory was redeveloped. Grenadersky Bridge was moved against its previous position so that it was downstream of the Karpovka River source. A wide Aptekarsky Bridge allowed arranging the spacious square before the bridge with proper adjustment of tram and motor traffic.

Embankment section of 89 m long adjoining to Grenadersky Bridge downstream was constructed in 1975 together with the bridge. The embankment wall at the section from the existing wall at Grenadersky Bridge to the existing wall at Grasnogvardeyets Association was erected in 1980 during the construction of Kantemirovsky Bridge (the length is 697.5). The embankment was commissioned without granite facing and coping stone. These works were associated with the commissioning of Kantemirovsky Bridge and the embankment wall to Akademik Pavlov Street.

The lowest section of the embankment of 760 m long (without the support of Kantemirovsky Bridge) was commissioned one year later than the bridge.

All over the length of the embankment the construction was performed under the project of Lengiproinzhproject Institute, engineers B. B. Levin, B. N. Brudno, and architects A. A. Noskov, A. V. Govorkovsky and V. M. Ivanov.