Palace Square

The star attraction of the square is the immense column that sits in its center. Known as the Alexander Column, it is a monument to Russia's victory over Napoleonic France. Designed, ironically, by the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand and built between 1830 and 1834, the column stands at 47,4 meter or almost 156 feet (including the base) and is topped with an angel whose face is said to resemble that of Emperor Alexander I. The monument, considered a great feat of engineering, weighs six hundred tons. No cranes were used to place it in the square, and it has no attachment to the base other than gravity.Leggi altro