Vasilevsky Island Spit

Vasilevsky Island Spit

Introduction

The Neva River flows between Peter and Paul Fortress and the Winter Palace, and is divided into the Greater and Lesser Neva by the protruding tip of Vasilievsky Island, forming the Greater and Lesser Neva. This protruding tip was originally a harbor, known as the Spit.

Between 1807 and 1810, an ancient temple-style stock exchange was built on this tip, featuring 44 massive Doric columns wrapping around the building. The sculptures on the building depict, on one side, heroes riding out of the waves from the Neva and Volkhov Rivers, and on the other, a young woman representing the Neva River, wearing a crown and surrounded by statues of the two rivers and the god of commerce, Mercury. The sculptural decorations of the exchange perfectly reflect its purpose as a center for trade and port activity.

In front of the exchange, there are two 32-meter-high ship’s prow-shaped columns standing on either side of the square. These columns serve as lighthouses to guide ships into the harbor and are called the Rostral Columns. The ship’s prow design originates from ancient Greco-Roman tradition, where the prows of defeated ships were mounted on columns as symbols of naval victory. On the granite base of the lighthouse columns, there are also four statues symbolizing Russia’s four major rivers — the Volga, the Volkhov, the Dnieper, and the Neva, which flows through St. Petersburg. The entire architectural complex centered around the Stock Exchange is grand in scale and magnificent in beauty. On major holidays, the lighthouses are illuminated.

St. Petersburg, Russia