Nikolay Apollonovich Belelyubski

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Nikolay Apollonovich Belelyubski (Russian: Белелюбский, Николай Аполлонович, 1845-1922) was a Russian scientist and the leading designer of bridges in the Imperial Russia.

Nikolai Belelyubski was born in Kharkiv on March 13, 1845. He spent his childhood and youth in Taganrog, and graduated with a golden medal from the Taganrog Boys Gymnasium in 1862. Belelyubski entered the Institute of Railroad Engineers in Saint Petersburg, which he graduated in 1867. He was considered one of the Institute's best graduates of all time, his name was written on a marble plate, and he offered the position of a teacher for construction mechanics, bridges and hydraulics. Professor (since 1873) Belelyubski also lectured at the Mountain Institute (Горный институт), Institute of Civil Engineers and Imperial Academy of Arts. His scientific and practical work in bridge-building and research of construction materials gained him a worldwide recognition.

Professor Belelyubski personally designed and managed over 100 projects of long bridges. The total length of bridges built by his projects extends 17 kilometers. This includes the bridges over rivers Don, Danube, Ob, Kama, Oka, Neva, Irtish, Belaya, Ufa, Nieman, Berezina and many more. The bridge over Volga near Syzran built in 1875-1880 was the longest bridge in Europe for a long period of time. This bridge or girder system has 13 spans (each of 107 meters) with a total length of 1483 meters. The bridge connected the railroad network in the central Russia with Volga region and Siberia. Belelyubski's project of a bridge over Volga on Oktyabrskaya railroad (1888) was the first time when the hinged support of cross-beams was used, and later awarded with a medal at the Edinburg Expo in 1896.

Nikolay Apollonovich promoted Russian science and its achievements, representing the country at various international exhibitions and forums. In every world expo (Edinburg, 1890; Chicago, 1893; and five expos held in Paris) the work of Belelyubski was presented through books, drawings and bridge models. He was member of the International Association of Railroad Congresses, honorary member of the Society of Civil Engineers of France and honorary member of the Institute of Concrete in England. In the World Expo 1900 in Paris, Belelyubski received the highest award.

Nikolay Belelyubski died on August 4, 1922 in Saint Petersburg, and was buried at Novodevichy Cemetery.