In every city there is a place that people in love and getting married want to cover with ribbons, locks and other material proofs of their unearthly feelings. In the capital city of Kiev, such a point became the Bridge of Lovers, «inscribed» in the design of Petrovskaya Alley.
Of the two mentioned sights in Kiev, the Bridge of Lovers is the most popular. The reason? Firstly, it offers fantastic views of the mighty Dnieper, Trukhanov Island and the Left Bank. Secondly, the history of creation and godfather of one of the best 
viewpoints of Kiev makes other objects of the city attractive for tourists, lovers and honeymooners to be covered with a patina of impotent envy.
True, there is another category of «admirers» of this construction. From time to time, suicides appear on it, wishing to part with their lives against the background of the most luxurious views of the city. Therefore, sometimes the structure is also called the Devil’s Bridge or the Suicide Bridge.
And now all the most interesting things about this construction. It was designed by Eugene Paton himself, the father of no less legendary academician Boris Paton, as well as the founder of domestic bridge building and welding. Therefore, sometimes this same construction is called the Small Paton’s Bridge, having in mind the contrast and difference from that magnificent construction, 1543 meters long, thrown over the Dnieper by the author.
Only the main Paton’s Bridge was started to be built in 1940 and finished in 1953. And the crumb — the Bridge of Lovers on Petrovskaya Alley, was put into operation on November 22, 1910.
Therefore, experts believe that the small pedestrian bridge that connected the City Garden and Khreshchaty (Tsar, Merchant, Proletarian and Pioneer) Park became a kind of simulator for the future Hero of Socialist Labor Mr. Paton.
The task that Eugene Paton received in 1909 was very interesting. It was planned to create one of the most attractive places for recreation in Kiev, with luxurious views and innovative engineering solution. The bridge was the first in 
Russian Empire collapsible metal structure of this kind. It was mounted on metal poles. An iron base and luxurious wrought iron railings were attached to them. Only after that the Petrovskaya Alley itself, which runs under the bridge, was deepened and the wooden planking was fixed.
During durability tests, Paton loaded the structure with sandbags. For each square meter of the surface was 400 kg of sand mass. The structure was then suspended to test its deflection capacity.
During the tests all the parameters coincided with the calculated ones, so in 1910 it was opened for pedestrians.
During the Civil War the wooden planking was removed by Kiev citizens, using it as fuel. It was restored. In 1983, the structure was dismantled and taken to the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky Museum of Folk Architecture and Life, and a metal copy was installed in its place. In 2014, the bridge was damaged during the resistance of the «Berkut» and Euromaidan defenders.
But the residents of Kolomyia with their own funds and efforts restored one of the most interesting viewing platforms in Kiev — the legendary Bridge of Lovers.
Thanks to the work done to improve this Kiev landmark, Paton’s Small Bridge is one of the most soulful and meaningful metal structures in the country. Therefore, if you find yourself on vacation in Kiev, don’t deny yourself the pleasure of crossing Petrovskaya Alley «aerial way», enjoying the elegance of the construction lines and the beauty of local panoramas.