The monument, which weighs 600 tons, is not attached to the pedestal in any way The Alexander Column on the Palace Square in St. Petersburg weighs 600 tons and stands on a pedestal only due to its own gravity. Despite the authority of the architect Auguste Montferrand, many townspeople were still afraid that she would fall. Perhaps wanting to instill confidence in them, Montferrand himself walked the dog around the column every day. #RandomThoughts