Kaluga Stone brige, Stone viaduct in Kaluga, Russia

The Kaluga Stone Bridge is a stone viaduct spanning 160 meters with fifteen large arches and reaching approximately 20 meters in height. Its structure features three two-story sections in the center that define its appearance.

The bridge was designed by Pyotr Romanovich Nikitin in the Russian classicism style and built from 1777 to 1780, though sources date its completion to 1785, under Mikhail Krechetnikov, the first governor of the Kaluga viceroyalty. It is the oldest stone viaduct in Russia and a federal-level cultural heritage object. In the 1840s the 28 stone trading stalls built beside it were dismantled and replaced by cast-iron grilles.

By local custom, a groom carries his bride across the bridge after the wedding registration. Newlyweds once hung padlocks on the railings and threw the keys into the Berezuy ravine; after the 2009 partial collapse and restoration the city banned this, so a metal tree for locks stands on Karl Marx Street along the ravine.

The bridge is easily accessible on foot from the city center by heading toward Bazhenov Street. It is best visited during daylight hours to fully appreciate the stone details and arches.

In 2009 a section of the pedestrian deck collapsed while workers were changing light bulbs, closing the bridge to traffic and then to pedestrians. It reopened on 16 February 2010; by old custom a horse-drawn carriage crossed first, followed by a trolleybus.