The vertical shape in the Palace Square centre is the Alexander Column. The monument was erected after the Russian victory in the war with Napoleon's France. Named after Emperor Alexander I, who ruled Russia between 1801 and 1825, the column is an interesting piece of architecture and engineering.

The Alexander Column was designed by the French-born architect Auguste de Montferrand and unveiled on 30 August 1834. The monument — the tallest of its kind in the world — is 47.5 m tall and is topped with a statue of an angel holding a cross. The body of the column is made of a single monolith of red granite. It is a terrific feat of engineering that this enormous column, weighing an incredible 600 tons, was erected in under 2 hours without the aid of modern cranes and engineering machines. The pedestal of the Alexander Column is decorated with symbols of military glory. The monument is particularly impressive on a sunny evening shortly before dusk, when the last beams of sunlight are reflected in the polished red granite of the column.