The Rostral columns are the architectural structures in the center of St. Petersburg, located on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island. The columns were erected in 1810 upon the project of the French architect Thomas de Thomon, who decorated them with ship rosters.

This design shows the power and greatness of the state’s navy, and also refers to the ancient Roman custom of decorating columns with rosters (Latin rostra, plural from Latin rostrum, meaning “the nose of the ship”) of the defeated (captured) enemy ships. The statues at the feet of the columns were made by sculptors J. Camberlain and J. Thibaud and personify the great rivers of Russia. The opening took place in 1815.

In the XIX century, the columns served as lighthouses for the northern capital’s port. Lighthouses were lit at night and during foggy weather, and served until 1885. In 1896, electrical equipment was installed in the columns. In 1957, lighthouses began to be illuminated with gas for reasons of economy. Nowadays, the lighthouses are lit only on special occasions.