The bridge, officially opened in 1850, has been reconstructed more than once due to necessity to expand the roadway and meet the requirements of navigation. Native St. Petersburg residents still call this bridge “new”. Since its opening, the length of the bridge has increased from 300 to 331 meters and its width changed from 24 to 37 meters. Today it bears its historical name after the nearby Blagoveshchensky Church that was demolished in 1929. The original look of the bridge from 1938 was restored.

Until 1850 the banks of the Neva river were connected with the pontoon bridge. Then, under the project of engineer S. V. Kierbedz, a magnificent eight-span bridge was built. According to the legend, Nicholas I promised Kierbedz to promote him to the higher rank for each span, that is why the engineer allegedly increased the number of spans. It is worth mentioning, that Stanislav Kierbedz, who began the construction as a major of the Corps of Railway Engineers, really received the rank of general after the completion of the bridge. In 1855 Emperor Nicholas I passed away, and the bridge was named in his honour – Nikolaevsky.

In 1918, the bridge was renamed after Pyotr Schmidt who led the uprising on the cruiser “Ochakov” in Sevastopol in 1905.Later, the bridge was repeatedly reconstructed until 2016.

Today it is a popular attraction and a historical place saturated with the spirit of the Northern Capital. Special attention should be paid not only to the lanterns that illuminate the bridge but also to the ornament of the railing with seahorses,made according the sketches of Alexander Brullov. This railing has become one of the symbols of Saint Petersburg.