Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns

The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns form an architectural ensemble on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, opposite the Winter Palace. The stock exchange is a Greek Revival building with a peristyle of 44 Doric columns on a red granite stylobate. Two rostral columns, decorated with bronze ship prows and marble figures representing Russian rivers, flank the building.

Don't miss

• The peristyle of 44 Doric columns on a red granite stylobate
• A sculptural group with Neptune symbolizing maritime commerce above the portico
• Two rostral columns with bronze anchors and four pairs of bronze ship prows
• Marble figures at the base of each column representing the Volga, Dnieper, Neva, and Volkhov rivers
• Gas torches atop the rostral columns, lit on ceremonial occasions

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns

Cheapest way inImagine Museum of Contemporary Glass Art General Admission4.2★ · 24 travelers1-2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$5 per personSee dates →Most bookedAmsterdam 90 minutes Canal Cruise with bar and snacks on board.4.9★ · 2,733 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$27 per personSee dates →Private & flexiblePrivate Golf Cart Tour - The History of St. Petersburg5★ · 13 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$49 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The building is located at Birzhevaya Ploschad 4 on the spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
• The rostral columns frame a semicircular overlook with ramps descending to a jetty on the Neva River.

A bit of history

Peter the Great ordered a stock exchange for his capital, inspired by Amsterdam's. Construction began in 1783 but stalled. French architect Thomas de Thomon redesigned it, and it was built between 1805 and 1810. It housed the Central Naval Museum from 1939 to 2010. In 2013, it was announced the building would transfer to the State Hermitage Museum to house its heraldry collection.