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THE ALEXANDER COLUMN
The Alexander Column was erected in 1829-1834 by the architect A. A. Montferrand and was named after Emperor Alexander the First. The Alexander Column is one of the monuments dedicated to the historical victory of Russian people in the Patriotic War of 1812.
The Alexander Column is perceived as the finale of the architectural ensemble of the Palace Square. The marvelous silhouette and precise proportions are characteristic of the Alexander Column. Apart from its art merits, the column is unique by its structure. Its shank presents a granite monolith with the height of 16.6 meters which is not fastened at all to the foundation, and it stands only owing to its heaviness (its weight is about 600 tons). The height of the column is 47.5 meters.
The column is crowned with an allegorical figure of angel which tramples on a serpent by his cross. The angel’s light figure, streaming turnings of clothes, stern vertical line of the cross emphasize the slenderness of the column. The pedestal of the monument is decorated with bronze bas-reliefs with images of allegorical figures and military armor. There are two figures - a woman and an old man symmetrically situated in the bas-relief from the side of the Winter Palace. They embody the rivers Vistula and Neman over which the Russian Army forced a crossing during the pursuit of Napoleon. The other bas-reliefs depict allegories of Peace, Justice, Wisdom, Plenty, and others. The base of the Alexander Column has the form of laurel wreath.
The inauguration of this monument took place on the 30th of August of 1834. So that to raise the column, they preliminary erected scaffolding and a wheeled construction on the square. The raising of the Alexander Column lasted for 100 minutes. There was a military parade on the square before the column with the participation of about one hundred thousand persons, including regiments which excelled in the war of 1812.
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