Monument to the Great Fire of London

The Monument ( officially: The Monument to the Great Fire of London). At the Fish Street in the center of the City of London is reminiscent of the great fire of 1666, the 61 meter high Doric column, which is topped by an observation deck and a gilded urn was built in 1671-1677 as part of the reconstruction efforts after the devastating fire. The building was designed by Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren.

The height of the column of 61 meters marks the exact distance between the stand and the former bakery of Thomas Farynnor in Pudding Lane where the fire broke out on the night of September 2, 1666. On the square base of the column are reliefs and inscriptions that are reminiscent of the fire disaster in which within four days of four-fifths of central London were destroyed, including the old St Paul's Cathedral.

The monument is open to visitors: A spiral staircase in the interior leads with 311 steps on a platform below the urn, which has a view over large parts of London. Any visitor who has mastered the 311 steps, obtained according to the descent a certificate with his name on the history and importance of the structure are explained. The observation deck was enclosed in the mid 19th century with a cage to prevent suicides. Between 1788 and 1842 a total of six people had fallen from Monument down into death.

After the monument also located in close proximity to Metro station Monument is named.

After a half -year-long restoration of the tower observation deck reopening took place in the third week of February 2009. The construction work had cost 4.5 million pounds sterling. According to press reports, it is the tallest free-standing stone column in the world. This tower is nine meters higher than the more well-known among tourists Nelson's Column.