In One Ear: Alexander and Astor have a column in common

Published 5:00 pm Thursday, August 30, 2007

DAN SEALY wrote in about finding something familiar in his travels. He said, “Here is a photo I took last week (Aug. 20) in St. Petersburg, Russia. The column is called Alexander’s Column, and it looks suspiciously like a column I’ve seen somewhere here in Astoria! It’s located in Palace Square.”

A little history lesson is in order. Named after Emperor Alexander I, the monument was built in Palace Square to honor the Russian military victory against Napoleon. Designed by French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand, the 600-ton column was put up in less than two hours. Without a crane!

You can read more about it at (www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour/alexander-column.asp)

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