Lower Yauza river had numerous bridges, dams and water mills since Middle Ages. The 1853 city plan shows a total of four such crossings. One was eventually demolished without replacement, three others correspond (west to east) to present-day Maly Ustinsky, Astakhovsky (Yauzsky) and Tessinsky bridges. Most important of these, Yauzsky Bridge, connecting city center with eastbound roads, was rebuilt in stone in 1804. In 1812, it was in the path of retreating Russian Army when it evacuated Moscow after Battle of Borodino.Tarle, Ye., Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1942, 1971; originally published in Russian in 1938) Yauzsky Bridge was renamed Astakhovsky after I.T.Astakhov, a steelworkers' leader killed on the bridge during a rally on February 28, 1917; this title remains official to date.Russian: Decision of Moscow City Council Presidium, N31, May 13, 1993, On restitution of historical titles to city elements within the protected zone of Garden Ring, Architectural commission of Moscow
