The Alexander Column, topped by a gilded angel, is 47.5m high. It was built between 1830 and 1834 by Auguste de Montferrand to commemorate Alexander I's victory over Napoleon in 1812. It therefore had to surpass the French Emperor's column on the Place Vendôme in Paris! This pink granite monolith stands on a pedestal decorated with allegorical bas-reliefs and has never budged despite its weight (600t).