Exhibition "The Great Bridge"

About exhibition

The exhibition is dedicated to the history of the oldest permanent city bridge in Russia and its role in the life of the medieval Novgorod Republic. The exact date of the structure's construction is unknown; however, mentions of a bridge that connected the Sophia Side and the Trade Side already appear in the First Novgorod Chronicle. From the 12th century the Great Bridge was rebuilt repeatedly. This is confirmed by the impressive results of underwater archaeological research conducted by local specialists since 2005. The ancient bridge was a complex engineering structure, large and very costly, with very long spans — at least 16 meters. A long wooden span is not an easy structural solution. Such designs are well known in modern bridge engineering, but for the 12th century this represented a high level of architectural skill. The exhibition brings together a substantial collection of artifacts related to craft production, trade, and socio-political life. Among the finds are several thousand items of church utensils and household goods, jewelry, coins and other rarities from the 12th–17th centuries, as well as remains of wooden structures dated to the 12th century. These treasures became the foundation of the Museum of the Great Bridge's exhibition.