The Rostral Columns of Bordeaux: guardians of Place des Quinconces and the Port of the Moon
When you stroll across Place des Quinconces facing the Garonne, it is hard to miss them: two tall stone columns keeping watch over the quays. These are the Rostral Columns, emblematic 19th-century monuments of Bordeaux. Far more than urban décor, they tell the story of a city turned towards the sea, trade and navigation.
The rostral columns were erected between 1827 and 1828 by architect Alexandre Poitevin. The first went up in 1827, the second the following year, during an official ceremony marked by the laying of the first stone by the Duchess of Berry.
Standing 21 metres tall, they rise like real lighthouses at the entrance to Place des Quinconces, on the Garonne side. Their neoclassical style and strategic location reflect the ambition of 19th-century Bordeaux: to assert its prestige as a major European port.
Rostral columns were traditionally built to commemorate a naval victory or successful maritime campaigns.
Traditionally, the rostrum or ram of captured ships was mounted on these columns (hence the name); if you look closely at the rostral columns of Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux, you will see them depicted.
Mercury and Artemis, two protective deities
At the top of each column stands a statue:
- Mercury (Hermes), god of trade and exchange, an obvious nod to Bordeaux's economic role.
- Artemis (Diana), goddess of roads and ports, linked to the moon and protector of travellers.
These two figures are not the original terracotta statues, too fragile, but cast-iron copies installed during restorations. Together, they embody the spirit of Bordeaux: a trading city, open to the world, but also protective of its sailors and travellers.
It is hard to picture Place des Quinconces without them. Set on the river side, they mark the main axis between the city and the Garonne. Facing the river, the statues turned towards the sailors recall Bordeaux's welcoming spirit and its commercial calling.
Even today, they offer a beautiful perspective over the quays and remain one of Bordeaux's most emblematic visual landmarks.
Where can you see THE ROSTRAL COLUMNS ↓↓↓
