Rostral Columns (lat. columna rostrata): located on the arrow Vasilevsky Island. Opposite the Stock Exchange
In 1806 two column-shaped lighthouses adorned with rostrums (sculptural replicas of ships’ prows) were built on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. The columns were designed by the architect Thomas de Thomon. The mighty figures, seated at the foot of the columns, personify Russia’s trade routes — the Neva, the Volkhov, the Volga and the Dnieper.…