The Place des Quinconces gets its name from the quincunx, a group of five items arranged in a square with one in the middle (think of the five-side of a die). The trees around you were planted in this manner and cover six hectares. The square replaced the famous Château Trompette, a castle built in 1675 to defend the port of Bordeaux. In 1816, King Louis XVIII offered the property to the municipality for redevelopment as a public area of ​​more than twelve hectares. The esplanade forms a terrace that follows the slope from the shores of the river Garonne to the massive monument to the Girondins further up the hill. Pierre-Alexandre Poitevin built the two rostral columns at the eastern end in 1828. Much like its ancient Greek and Roman ancestors, these neoclassical 21-metre (69 ft) rostral columns commemorate naval victories with integrated prows of ships. The first column symbolises commerce (topped by Hermes, the patron god of merchants) and the other navigation.