Kronstadt tide gauge, Tide gauge in Kronstadt, Russia
The Kronstadt gauge sits on the abutment of the Blue Bridge over the Bypass Canal and measures water levels with a porcelain ruler. The device combines mechanical recording with modern sensors that provide continuous data.
Hydrographer Mikhail Reineke established the measuring station in 1840 after fifteen years of research on sea levels in the Gulf of Finland. The chosen zero mark later became the official altitude reference for the entire Russian Empire.
The zero mark of this gauge has served for over a century as the starting point for all altitude measurements on Russian maps and construction projects. Visitors who come to the modest measuring station see an instrument that defines the vertical foundation of an entire country.
The device stands by the canal and can be viewed from the bridge, with the measuring apparatus and markings visible. Specialists take several readings daily, though automated systems now handle most of the data collection.
The reference mark for the zero point appears on the monument to Pyotr Pakhtusov, specifically in the horizontal line of the letter P in the word Polza. Visitors who know both locations can trace the physical connection between measurement and memory.
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