Today, in 1834, the Alexandrian Column, designed by architect Auguste Montferrand, was solemnly unveiled on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. The total height of the monument is 47.5 meters. The granite monolith was delivered from the Puterlak quarry near Vyborg and erected without the use of modern machinery. It is the largest single granite column in the world.

The Alexandrian Column is a monument erected by decree of Emperor Nicholas I in honor of the victory of his older brother Alexander I in the Patriotic War of 1812. The opening ceremony was attended by the emperor and the entire royal family, as well as the diplomatic corps, a hundred thousand Russian troops, and servicemen of the domestic army.