In 1806 two columns of lighthouses adorned with rostrums (sculptural replica of ships' prows) were erected on the Strelka (Spit) of the Vasilyevsky Ostrov. They were the work of the architect Thomas de Thomon. At the foot of the columns there are powerful figures personifying four Russian rivers, viz.: the Neva, Volkhov, Volga and Dnieper. These were designed by sculptors S. S. Pimenov, I. I. Terebenev, V. I. Demut-Malinovsky and others. The signal lights on top of the columns guided homebound ships at sea.
In the summer of 1957, during the celebrations on the occasion of the 250-th anniversary of Leningrad's foundation, the signal lights on top of the Rostral Columns were relighted. The lighthouses seem to crown the ensemble of the Strelka on the Pushkinskaya Ploshchad, the reconstruction of which was effected in 1925— 1926 according to plans submitted by architect L. A. Uyin.
In the summer of 1957, during the celebrations on the occasion of the 250-th anniversary of Leningrad's foundation, the signal lights on top of the Rostral Columns were relighted. The lighthouses seem to crown the ensemble of the Strelka on the Pushkinskaya Ploshchad, the reconstruction of which was effected in 1925— 1926 according to plans submitted by architect L. A. Uyin.