ALEXANDER COLUMN

The Aleksander column - Victory oblisk monument to defeat of Napoleon in 1812 in Palace square. The facade of the Winter palace is in background. The pedestal has the inscription "To Aleksandr I from a grateful Russia" . The granite column weighs 600 tons and is the largest freestanding monument in the world. It was designed by Auguste de Montferrand in 1829. The bronze angel on top holds a cross.