The Kivisild stone bridge will rise again

The Kivisild stone bridge will rise again

Incredible things become real in Tartu Dear Friend, The City of Tartu is happy to greet you and offer you all these important things to see and sense that we wish to share with you and rejoice in.

Hanseatic Tartu is constantly changing. All proper cities wish to develop and find themselves, preserve and highlight the values that turn a city into the place that it is known and loved for. Fortunate are the cities that are remembered and loved and that people wish to return to again and again so they can experience something new and exciting. I believe that people who visited Tartu 5 years ago would find today that the appearance of the city has changed.

But our principal values and views have been securely preserved.

There is much to see in Tartu. Only recently, we looked sadly at the broken tower of Jaani Church and longed for the time when the church would get a new tower and bell. This time has arrived now – we will open the doors to Jaani Church once again. The unbelievable has become reality. The statue of Kalevipoeg has been restored – the pillar of our freedom. The rejuvenation of many other values of the town are also proudly nearing their completion – the renovation of the Town Hall Square, reconstruction of Toomkirik (the Dome Church), renovation of the university buildings and Rüütli Street.

Our city also has buildings that are not visible to the eye today, but that live in the hearts of former and present Tartu people more strongly than anything else. One such symbol of Tartu is the Kivisild, the link between the two river banks. This feeling and knowledge of the importance of the Kivisild is important to us. It was born with us and accompanies us through time.

Tartu deserves its symbols, good thoughts and good deeds. Bearing in mind the significance of Kivisild we would like to keep Tartu the way it is remembered by our citizens, faraway friends and our guests.

Let us support the preservation of values and their realisation whenever possible. Then we can all walk along the bridge of valuable memories and developing innovations of Tartu.

I hope you have many beautiful moments in Tartu!

With good thoughts, Laine Jänes Mayor of Tartu

Need a short heading Hea sõber, Tartu linnal on heameel teid tervitada ning pakkuda kõike seda olulist silmale nähtavat ja meelele tuntavalt, mida soovime teiega jagada ja mille üle rõõmu tunda.

Hansalinn Tartu on pidevas muutumises. See ongi üks õige linn, mis tahab end arendada ja sisemiselt leida, alal hoida ja esile tõsta väärtusi, mis teevadki ühest linnast just sellise paiga, mille pärast teda tuntakse ja armastatakse. Õnnelikud on need linnad, mis jäävad inimestele meelde ja kuhu soovitakse ikka ja jälle tagasi pöörduda, et siin taas midagi uut ja põnevat kogeda.

Usun, et inimesed, kes külastasid Tartut 5 aastat tagasi, tõdevad täna, et meie linn on väliselt muutunud. Kuid kindlalt on säilinud meie põhiväärtused ja vaated.

Tartus on palju vaatamisväärsusi. Alles see oli, kui vaatasime nukralt Jaani kiriku tömpi torni ning igatsesime aega, mil kirik endale torni ja tornikella saaks. Nüüd on see aeg käes – avame taas kord Jaani kiriku uksed. Uskumatu on saanud tegelikkuseks.

Taastatud on Kalevipoja kuju – meie vabaduse sammas.

Uhkelt on saamas teoks mitmete teistegi linnaväärtuste uuenduskuurid – Raekoja platsi renoveerimine, Toomkiriku rekonstrueerimine, ülikoolihoonete ja Rüütli tänava uuendamine.

Meie linnas on ka selliseid ehitisi, mida täna oma silmaga ei ole näha, kuid mis siiski elavad nii endiste kui tänaste tartlaste südameis tugevamini kui miski muu. Üheks selliseks Tartu sümboliks on Tartu kahte kallast ühendanud Kivisild. Meile on oluline see tunne ja teadmine Kivisilla tähtsusest. See on meiega sündinud ja meiega ajast-aega kaasas käinud.

Tartu väärib oma sümboleid, häid mõtteid ja häid

tegusid. Hoides meeltes Kivisilla tähendust, hoiame ka Tartut just sellisena, nagu teda mäletavad meie linnakodanikud, eemalviibivad sõbrad ja meie külalised.

Toetagem väärtuste hoidmist ja võimalusel ka nende realiseerumist. Siis saame üheskoos kõndida Tartu väärtuslike mälestuste ja arenevate uuenduste sillal.

Ilusaid hetki Tartu linnas!

Heade mõtetega,

Laine Jänes Tartu linnapea

Majestic heart of the old cultural town In my memory, Tartu is very closely associated with the Emajõgi River and the bridges crossing it. Back then there were many passenger boats on the Emajõgi. Down the river from the Floating Bridge – at the site of the present Victory Bridge – was the place of the flatbottomed passenger boat, the Laine, which sailed between Tartu and Lääniste. The Kungla and Torm with their water wheels stood on the other bank opposite the Laine. Both sailed to Lake Peipsi, the Kungla to Võõpsu and the Torm to Mustvee. The places of the smaller boats, the Salme and Endla, were further downriver from the Kivisild.

None of these bridges or ships are there today. The Kaubahoov (Trade Yard), Maarja Church and the beautiful old Vanemuine Theatre building are also gone. History has been very unkind to Tartu. The Russian-Livonian war, the Northern War and the Second World War destroyed most of the important historical buildings and memorials of Tartu. The Soviet regime was not interested in restoring them due to ideological reasons.

Now that we are an independent state again, we should take another look at our war losses and decide, at the state level, what should be restored of our historical heritage. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the University of Tartu and the Kivisild (the Stone Bridge) were symbols of Tartu. The main building of the University of Tartu was fortunately preserved, but the pride and joy of Tartu – the old, beautiful and majestic Kivisild – was destroyed.

People often ask why it is necessary to restore the Kivisild. This could be answered with another couple of questions. Why did old cultural countries (such as Germany, Poland, England, Hungary and Russia) have to restore several important buildings – churches, palaces, bridges – right after war? And this during times of severe economic difficulties!

We could also ask: why are we keeping family photo albums in our homes with such love and care? The answer is simple: the family album is the family’s history; the historically most important and beautiful buildings are the history of cities and countries.

The Kivisild has a prominent place in the history of Tartu dating back to the 18th century.

Now is the time to restore this powerful and beautiful bridge, so the Town Hall Square will once again form an historical whole in the heart of Tartu. We have already started restoring the historical look of Tartu: the Kalevipoeg memorial, restored St. John’s Church and the fortified Toomemäe ruins. We can also consider Maarja Church and Kaubahoov for the future. It is necessary to restore the Kivisild so it will create a symbolic connection between ourselves and the history of our city and thereby also the previous generations. Let us rebuild our history stone by stone.

Arvi Vainomäe Member of the Tartu Kivisild Foundation and fund-raiser in Australia

1922

1941 1944 1959

Kivisild, seed capital of the Estonian nation The Kivisild stone bridge was part of the seed capital of modern Estonia – think about it.

Tartu was virtually reduced to rubble when Catherina II financed the rebuilding a city with a population of only 3200 inhabitants in 1776. If to radically summarise Estonian history, as Tartu was rebuilt the University returned, Estonian language emerged and national identity awoke in Tartu, flourished after WWI only to be almost crushed after WWII, yet survived and blossomed again into the 21st century. That the Kivisild was a turning point in the fortunes of the Estonian people is not an exaggeration.

Like most people in Tartu I lack a direct memory of the Stone Bridge, but I know of its importance. My memories are of surprise seeing a concrete bridge extending from the classical Town Hall Square on my first visit to Tartu in 1989. Then when I saw images of what had been there before the war I was disgusted by the replacement bridge. Then emotions turned to sadness as I discovered the scale of devastation which the city suffered during the war and repression afterwards – Ireland experienced neither of these. I moved here in 1992 during the optimism of rebuilding Estonia when a replica Kivisild was still a popular idea.

Hansa Days 2005 was the original target date for the opening of the replica Kivisild. No matter that the date has passed – the Kivisild Foundation has at least kept the idea alive and defined the bridge as being the most sorely missing part of Tartu. Sincere thanks to Patrick von Glasenapp and friends who have actively championed the cause of seeing the Kivisild again.

However, experience shows that the Kivisild budget of 40 million EEK is beyond the scope of part-time voluntary fund raising. I believe that it is now time for the Tartu City Government and the Estonian Government to come forward and take on the responsibility for this important task.

A small sample of pre-war Tartu remains and much has been restored in Tartu since 1992 – the reopening of St. Johns Church being particularly significant. Now the Kivisild seems like the next most obvious reconstruction project.

Looking forward to Tartu with its heart restored.

Michael Walsh Member of Tartu Renaissance Club

The original Kivisild ...

During its 150-year history the Kivisild itself was repaired and modified. The central span and lighting were upgraded over time. Should the replica closely follow the original as built by Katariina II or be a copy of the bridge when it was destroyed? Most likely a solution somewhere between the two with 21st century construction and electrical lighting will have to be found.

The original plan was for a double draw bridge at the centre but this may have only functioned in the early years of the bridge. Generally the local lodja boats berthed downriver beside the wood market.

Later steamship connections were with Värska and Narva and there was not much need for larger boats to travel upriver of the Kivisild.

The central span was strengthened over time, eventually with iron girders and concrete to take the increasing motor and bus traffic of the mid-1920s.

Electrical lighting and telephone wires also appeared on the triumphal arches around this time. The bridge was asphalted in 1928 around the time when the “Jewish market� was replaced with a new street and landscaping running along the northern river bank.

Additional electrical light fixtures were mounted on bollards at the sides of the bridge, and concrete railings and steps were added.

The road was 5.6 m wide narrowing to 4 m at the portal arch. The footpath was 1.4 m wide, narrowing to 1.25 m at the portal arch.

The existing foundation of central piers, the base of arch and abutment foundations are all believed to be intact and could possibly be built upon again with minimum modification.

14 m

8,5

5m

... and the replica Kivisild.

14 m

A modern construction of the Kivisild would be a concrete structure covered with a façade of granite tiles. With this solution, the replica stones do not need to be large structural ones, but just large enough for the face of the stone to be the right size and shape while also holding together as one structure.

The modern bridge would be a pedestrian bridge, so the central span of the bridge would be restored close to the original Katariina specification of a lightweight wooden structure. This contrast of wood and stone materials would amplify the drawbridge effect.

A typical problem when restoring old bridges is that the current required specifications are much higher than the original period. Here the issue mostly concerns treatment of the central span: emergency vehicles must be able to cross and the width and height of the spans is also an issue for river traffic. Hopefully the future of the Kivisild will not come down to a question of “will Pegasus fit under?�

The proportions and symmetry of the Kivisild were very carefully thought out and original measures should be very closely followed in the replica widening the central span by more than 8.5 meters to accommodate larger boats should not be allowed as it would ruin the harmony of the forms and lines.

The central span of the Kivisild is higher than the current Kaarsild.

The surface of the bridge would be restored as cobblestones. Kivisild was a popular place for social gatherings, especially in the evening, with the two central towers creating four semi-circular enclosures with benches between the portal arches. These would again become a natural place for gathering. A modern solution is needed for ornament, security and display lighting.

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The renaissance symbol of Tartu When we established the Tartu Kivisild Foundation several years ago, by doing so we expressed a hope that the Kivisild would soon be erected and would again be a feast for Tartuans’ eyes.

Not to mention that the bridge is the connector of the districts of the town.

Yet years have passed and other buildings essential for the city have emerged in Tartu and a lot of other important values for the city have been renovated here – let us name Tartu’s St. John’s Church, the conservation of the Dome Church and the restoration of the university buildings.

Now, when we are getting back our gorgeous and honourable buildings, the city has to look ahead as well – what could be the next symbols which we are going to restore together? I believe that Tartu’s Kivisild, which is famous not only in Estonia but known and remembered outside Estonia, is one of the most important symbols for Tartu.

Restoring the Kivisild, pushing it in front of the Tartuans and our guests by force and hastily, is not a reasonable idea. The bridge needs to become the people’s own strong desireand the bridge concept must be self-supporting. There is often a lot of apprehension and hesitation about bringing home something immanent – whether this thing (or building) will be accepted again, whether it will fit in the contemporary image of our town and whether more words and money are spent on the restoration of the Stone Bridge than the bridge itself is worth.

With all due respect to the inhabitants of Tartu and those people who have supported the Kivisild in words and financially, I call on all good people to restore Tartu’s Kivisild and the rebirth of a symbol of Tartu.

Tartu merits its history and let our history come back to us! We are capable of it since Tartu, Tartuans and our friends are rich in spirit.

Gratefully and with good wishes, Ants Veetõusme Chairman of the Management Board of the Tartu Kivisild Foundation

The bronze model of Kivisild erected by Tartu Kivisild Foundation in June 2004 gives the public an understanding of the scale and imposing forms of the bridge to be restored.

Skulptor Tiiu Kirsipuu

Protocol (not dated, probably 1942) recording the salvage of the main Kivisild dedication stone and handing over its care to the Tartu City Government.

Current location of stone unknown.

We are from the Kivisild generation When I, as a child, at the time of well-ironed pioneer scarves and the crackling radio sound of the Voice of America in the 1970s, passed by the main building of the University of Tartu, I always caught sight of a walled-up window on the façade of the temple of wisdom. All other windows were as usual, but one was just a blank window place.

I don’t know where I had acquired the belief but I believed that the window had been covered up since a fragment of the Stone Bridge (Kivisild) had flown into it. Flown when the Reds blew up the Kivisild in the summer of 1941.

Two symbols of Tartu – the Main Building of the University and the Stone Bridge – and a child’s hopeless feeling. The bridge completely destroyed, the face of the Main Building damaged in the course of the destruction of the bridge.

In fact the bridge wasn’t completely destroyed at once. There is a photo of 19 September 1941 in my grandfather’s album. At least a quarter of the Stone Bridge, one arch, is still there. The open market on the riverbank is also in the picture: women selling autumn flowers, other goods also in the carts; German soldiers salute each other.

If that one arch had survived, the Arch Bridge (Kaarsild) might not have been built and the Kivisild would have been restored – that’s what I have been thinking of. However, the year 1944 destroyed this third of the bridge.

We all have our own memories associated with the Kivisild. On spring nights when we, with friends, walking or half crawling, used to cross the arch of the modern pedestrian bridge and on the highest spot of the arch glimpse for a moment down on our beautiful Emajõgi River.

Now it seems to me that standing on the viewing platform of the Stone Bridge and looking at the river there would have been safer. To be honest, there is no better place in Tartu where you could be in peace and watch the river flow by under you like time flowing through you.

Juhani Püttsepp A Tartuan

Ruins of Kivisild in the summer of 1941 showing the surviving arch.

Photo E. Selleke.

Areas of downtown Tartu surviving/restored since 1939

... and areas which have not.

Building for eternity In 1775, a fire swept through Tartu which destroyed a significant portion of the city centre. Tsarina Catherine II allocated 12-15,000 rubles to the building of a bridge as part of the city’s restoration, later adding a further ten thousand to the sum. The Kivisild was designed to be the Empress’ gift to Tartu.

After a year of argument about location it was decided that the bridge should be built at the head of the Suurturu (Town Hall Square) – a well-chosen site, as it complemented the classical style of architecture that was emerging in the city and was a stylish finishing touch to the square.

The location was equally well-chosen from the engineering point of view. It was at this point that the Emajõgi (Mother River) split into two streams around Holm Island, which enabled the river to be dammed and main construction work to take place on the drained river bed. Although Tartu had just been removed from the manifest of cities under the protection of the Russian Empire, its engineering brigade remained active in the area under the guidance of Lieutenant-Colonel Otto Christian von Schröder, and building work was directed from Riga by the Livonia-based Irish Governor-General George von Browne.

Prominent local figures were also brought in during the early stages of the project: Tartu architect J.H. Walther and engineering brigade architect J.C. Siegfrieden, as well as Tartu mason J. Zaklowsky. Walther drew up his budget for the three-arched stone bridge as early as the end of July 1775 and set it at 71,000 rubles. Governor-General Browne approved the sum and presented the plan to the Tsarina, stressing in his dispatch that the bridge should be built to last.

The same year in fact saw two simultaneous Kivisild projects – one led by Zaklowsky and the other by Siegfrieden.

Both envisaged a bridge with two arches whose mid-

section could be raised to allow the passage of vessels beneath. Zaklowsky’s was to be adorned with delicately wrought handrails and rococo elements, while Siegfrieden planned something simple and more classical with a larger balustrade. During preparations Zaklowsky simplified his design, bringing it closer to Siegfrieden’s, and it was this that came to be adopted. From it took shape two stone walls which would fasten the drawbridge’s fetters and through which thoroughfares would run, giving them the appearance of triumphal arches and adding to the bridge’s noble countenance.

The 1781 plan according to which the Kivisild was built.

The Kivisild was not the only thing to be designed or constructed in Tartu during this period; the razing of many of the city centre’s buildings had its positive side. It provided an opportunity to rectify the rambling medieval streetscape and begin construction of the highly regarded stone buildings still standing today.

Architecturally, the most significant constructions on Tartu’s central square became the new town hall at its broadest point and the Kivisild, the pièce de résistance of its perspective, at its narrowest.

Preparatory work on the bridge began in the winter of 1776. Building work required the main arm of the Emajõe River to be blocked with with two dams and directed around Holm Island. The dams themselves were surprisingly lightweight and this led to regular repairs as they continually gave way.

The upstream dam was completed in the autumn of 1779, and the downstream one in the spring of 1780. The foundations of the riverbank supports were completed in the spring of 1781. Work then began on the two pillars that would stand on the river bed. One side became accessible

by November 1781, for which carpenters had prepared the necessary equipment for erection of the bridge’s archways.

The winter of 1782 was used for reinforcement of the river pillars, and was also when the building blocks cut to size from the local stone of manor houses in the vicinity started to arrive – of which almost 3000 were required. The finer craftsmanship required for the slabs and cornice stones saw them brought in from St. Petersburg.

Both of the bridge’s archs were built in the summer of 1782. The arch stones were coupled with iron brackets, themselves cast in lead at their insertion points to ensure the arch’s maximum strength. By late autumn the archways were complete and the spring of 1783 saw the emplacement of the slabs and cornice stones, the erection of the two stone walls for fastening the drawbridge’s fetters, and finally the installation of the raised bridge itself that would allow the passage of vessels beneath. Word was sent to Riga that the Kivisild was almost ready: a cobblestone road had been laid across the bridge as well as a stone-tiled pedestrian footpath, and scaffolding removed.

The same period saw general reinforcement and upkeep of the banks of Emajõe around the bridge, which had also been affixed with suitable access roads. On 3 September 1784, von Browne informed the Tartu city council that the main work on the Kivisild had been completed and that the bridge could open to traffic.

The existing Kaarsild was fortunately �planned as removable� with the abutment foundations of the Kivisild retained to allow for its restoration.

Patrick von Glasenapp, upon whose initiative Tartu Kivisild Foundation was established in 1992

”

The cost of the replica Kivisild is estimated at 40 m kroons (2.5 m EUR).

It is a large sum but if we all get involved it is achievable. We appeal to the generosity of Tartu’s citizens and guests, and look forward to the support of businnesses, the City of Tartu and the Estonian Government.

Donations can be made to the Tartu Kivisild Foundation “Tartu Kivisilla Fond” account no. 22 100 514 0786 Hansabank, code 767.

In addition, we welcome your ideas, proposals for cooperation and donations-in-kind in the name of creating a replica Kivisild.

Tartu Kivisilla Fond Pepleri 27, Tartu 51010, Estonia Tel +372 501 4131 kivisild@kodu.ee www.kivisild.ee Tartu Kivisild Foundation board: Ants Veetõusme Martti Preem Valter Haamer

emajõe disain 2005

“Let us rebuild the Kivisild!

Bridges do more than span rivers from bank to bank, they bring people together!

Get involved in restoring the Kivisild!