The Strelka
The eastern-most point of Vasilyevsky Island is known as the Strelka. The
most prominent structures on the Strelka are the two Rostral Columns. Thomas
de Thomon built these large red columns between 1805 and 1810. Flames atop
the Rostral Columns were lit at night to warn ships of the split in the Neva.
The Columns are lit in modern times only on special occasions. Sculpted prows
of ships jut out from the columns in various places. These are meant to represent
ships defeated by the Russian Navy. Statues at the base of the columns are meant
to represent Russia's great rivers: the Volga, Volkhov, Neva and Dnieper.
Behind the Rostral columns is the Naval Museum. It is easily identifiable by its
large granite base, and columns lining the front of the building. The Naval Museum
is what used to be the Stock Exchange building. Thomas de Thomon rebuilt the Stock
Exchange and gave it its current appearance. The Stock Exchange was a center of trade
for merchants arriving in St. Petersburg. In 1940, the Stock Exchange became the
Naval Museum, home to over 1,700 model ships as well as a large collection of
blueprints of warships. The museum keeps records of all of Russia's naval
accomplishments to date.
The Naval Museum is flanked on either side by former port warehouses. Originally
built between 1826 and 1832 by Giovanni Luchini, both buildings have assumed different
roles. The warehouse on the southern side of the Naval Museum is now the Zoological
Museum. The Zoological Museum was founded in 1896, and contains over forty thousand
species. 
The Museum also contains the only stuffed mammoth in the world. The warehouse
on the northern side of the Naval Museum is now the Dokuchayev Museum of Soil Science.
Around the corner from the Museum of Soil Science is the Customs House also known as
the Pushkin House. Giovanni Luchini built this building between 1829 and 1832. Since
1927, this structure has been home to both: the Institute of Russian Literature, and
the Museum of Literature. It contains the largest collection of works related to Russian
literature in all of Russia. These organizations possess over 2,000 manuscripts from as
far back as the 13th century. There is also a large collection of watercolor and oil
paintings located here.
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