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The Rostral Columns-beacons. The tradition of erecting rostral columns goes back to ancient Rome. They were usually decorated with prows of vessels captured from the enemy. Each column is 32 meters high. There are sculptures at each column's foot associated with the main Russian rivers-the Volga, Dnieper, Neva and Volkhov. There are winding stairs inside each column. Metal tripods with bowls are placed on top. Oil was poured into each bowl and burnt when dusk descended on the city. The columns were designed by the architect Thomas de Thomon.
Buildings on the Spit of St. Bazil Island. The Peter-and-Paul Fortress on the one side and the Hermitage on the other form a sort of an aquatic space in the city center.
St. Petersburg's planning is determined by the position of the Neva River, its main waterway. From head to mouth it is 72 kilometers long with 28 kilometers being within the city limits. The river has 300 stairways leading to the water. It is 8 to 11 meters deep and 400 to 600 meters wide expanding up to 1,200 meters in the delta. The Neva starts from Lake Ladoga, runs in two arms past the Oreshek Island with the Schlisselburg Fortress ("The Key City") standing on it and flows into the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. The Marine Canal is dug in the Neva River bed to let sea-going vessels pass. |
