The famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is rightfully considered one of the most significant art and historical museums around the world. The complex of five magnificent buildings, in which numerous exhibits are located, is one of the most unique architectural monuments of Russia.
Today, the extensive collection of the museum complex includes more than three million diverse works of art, from exhibits from ancient times to the masterpieces of our time.
The uniqueness of the Hermitage
The State Hermitage Museum is interesting not only in the huge number of exhibits, in terms of its location. Before the revolution, he was imperial, so the unique interiors of that era, magnificent marble stairs, gilded furniture and crystal chandeliers are preserved here.
Visitors have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of that time, to appreciate the beauty and luxury of the environment.
History of creation
The founding time of the Hermitage is 1764, when, by order of Catherine II, an exhibition of paintings was founded in several rooms of the Winter Palace, which at that time was one of the imperial residences. These 225 paintings were taken by the empress from the German merchant Gotskovsky in payment of the debt of the Russian Empire. The idea was a success. Therefore, the empress continued to collect exhibits.
According to her orders, sculptures and canvases of famous painters were bought up, an interesting collection of carved stone was acquired. Soon it turned out that several halls for the collected masterpieces were no longer enough. Decided to build a separate building. It was erected in the years 1764-1767 and later became known as the Small Hermitage.
In 1775, on the Neva coast, the architect Yuri Felten built a luxuriously finished building called the Great Hermitage.
In 1783-1787, the Hermitage Theater was built by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi on the site of the former personal residence of Emperor Peter I.
Formation of Hermitage expositions
At the beginning of its existence, the museum’s collection was replenished through purchases of painting collections belonging to European aristocratic families. Then they began to acquire individual works of brilliant masters. For example, Emperor Alexander I bought the painting “Lute player” by Caravaggio.
By the end of the 18th century, the Hermitage's collections contained paintings by Rembrandt, Raphael, Giorgione, Rubens and many other famous artists. Especially for Hermitage expositions abroad, various works of art were bought up. These are sculptures, products from gold and silver, books, coins and much more.
Some of the masterpieces were ordered by the masters specifically to supplement the Hermitage collection. At the beginning of the 19th century, the museum also began to exhibit interesting archaeological finds.
By the middle of the 19th century, the building of the New Hermitage was built to store and demonstrate an ever-increasing number of exhibits. The museum complex has acquired its final form.
Museum Halls
The layout of the halls of the Hermitage has about 350 different rooms, in which the richest collection of the museum’s masterpieces is located. The interiors of the premises themselves are often also works of art, such as, for example, the magnificent gallery of the Loggia Raphael, commissioned by Catherine.
It is an exact copy of the Vatican original. The entire gallery, including the ceiling, is decorated with analogues of Raphael's paintings, which were made by a group of artists led by H. Unterberger.
No less remarkable are the antique halls of the Hermitage, whose interior space is fully consistent with the presented collections. Often the interior of the halls is painted with Greek and Egyptian motifs and numerous columns. Here are collected objects of many places and eras. For example, a huge plate covered with inscriptions from the area of ancient Palmyra (Palmyra letter) or realistic antique sculptures.
The Greek halls of the Hermitage amaze with an abundance of genuine antique statues, vases, amphorae, lamps.
The famous sculpture "Taurian Venus", which was purchased by Peter the Great from Pope Clement XI, is noteworthy.
How are the exposure
For guests visiting the magnificent museum complex for the first time, it’s not easy to figure out the complex intersections of galleries and passages. A detailed diagram of the Hermitage halls with room numbers is located at the entrance to the museum. You can get the same for free from the cashiers when buying tickets or you can use the very convenient and detailed online guide to the museum.
All rooms of the museum complex are numbered to make it easier to navigate. But many particularly notable halls have their own names.
The names of the halls of the Hermitage may also reflect the essence of the collections presented in them. In particular, the Hall of Ancient Egypt or the Hall of Leonardo da Vinci.
Sometimes the name of the premises of the museum may arise due to its external features or interior details. For example, in this way the White Hall got its name, built by A.P. Bryullov in honor of the wedding of the future Emperor Alexander II in 1841. Its interior was executed in white tones and decorated with statues of ancient Roman deities and numerous columns.
Often the names of the halls of the Hermitage were given to perpetuate the memory of significant people or events. So, for example, the Peter Hall was named after the founder of the city, Peter the Great. It is also called the Small Throne.
Masterpieces of painting
In one small article, it is unrealistic to simply list all the canvases of the great painters presented in the expositions of the Hermitage.
Of the most notable, you can see two works by the famous Renaissance painter - Leonardo da Vinci. These are Madonna Benoit and Madonna Litta. In total, 14 genuine canvases of his authorship are known in the world, and two of them are in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg!
In the museum you can also get acquainted with an impressive collection of paintings by medieval Spanish masters. Of course, one of the pearls of this Hermitage exposition is the canvas of Diego Velazquez's "Breakfast". This painting by the court painter of the Spanish king Philip VI surprises with its optical visual illusion: it seems that the painting depicts four people, but in fact only three characters have breakfast.
On the diagram of the halls of the Hermitage, one can see such names as the Rembrandt Hall or the "Sneakers" Shops. Separately presented is the richest collection of paintings by Dutch painters of the 16th-17th centuries.
The works of the impressionists and post-impressionists are on the third floor of the Winter Palace. Here you can admire the canvases of Monet, Renoir, Picasso and many other brilliant masters of painting.
Hermitage pantries
On the scheme of the halls of the Hermitage you can see such names as the Gallery of Jewels No. 1 and No. 2. They are called Golden and Diamond. Talking titles! Of course, they can inspect valuable art objects from precious stones and gold.
Visiting these galleries is not included in the price of admission. They need to be paid separately. A visit is only possible with a scheduled tour. Photography and video are prohibited there, but the impressions of the seen beauty of the creations of the ancient masters will last for a long time.
Almost everyone knows about the famous Scythian gold, but the Siberian gold collection formed by Peter the Great is not inferior in skill or expressiveness to anyone. It consists of items collected in Western Siberia at the beginning of the 18th century. This collection of exhibits can rightfully be called the earliest archaeological collection in Russia.
Some works of ancient jewelers date back to the seventh century BC. That’s why the mastery and accuracy of masterpieces are amazing.
For lovers of the beauty and brilliance of natural stones, a visit to the Diamond Pantry will be informative. It contains the jewels of the Russian autocrats. These are snuff boxes and boxes of all shapes and sizes, watches and fans decorated with loose diamonds.
You can also see unique creations of jewelry by Carl Faberge - ten times reduced copies of the imperial crown, scepter and power.
Museum Inspection Tips
With all desire, it is impossible in one day even to catch a glimpse of all the expositions, halls and galleries of the museum complex. Therefore, it is better to determine in advance the most preferred collections and think about your route. This can be helped by a more than detailed and understandable interactive guide to the Hermitage.
It should be borne in mind that the most popular among museum guests are the front rooms, collections of paintings by Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci. They should be visited in the afternoon, when the number of tourists will decrease significantly.
And it is better to start the inspection from the first floor of the Winter Palace, where halls dedicated to the art of ancient centuries are located. In the morning hours there is usually deserted.
Although each has its own interests, and therefore it is impossible to lay a route that is equally informative for everyone.
Museum visit with children
If you plan to visit the museum with the kids, it is better to make this excursion short-lived so as not to "oversaturated" the child with impressions.
Despite the solidity and solidity of the galleries of the museum complex, there are halls for children in the Hermitage that will certainly interest the kids. The boy will definitely enjoy a visit to the Knights' Hall, which presents a rich collection of medieval knightly armor and weapons. There is even a set of children's armor in the exposition, which the little knight will definitely like.
And the girl will certainly be impressed and will be surprised by the beautiful interiors of the ceremonial halls, images of children and animals in the paintings, as well as the unique Hanging Garden.
And, of course, it will be interesting for children to visit the Hall of Ancient Egypt, to see a real mummy and many interesting statues with animal heads.
Tours of the Hermitage
The museum complex is simply huge, so navigating it, despite the presence of the layout of the halls of the Hermitage, is quite problematic. Therefore, it is recommended to use the services of a guide.
Tours are conducted by museum staff who thoroughly know the history of each work of art and many interesting facts about them.
A traditional tour of the Hermitage. It lasts about four hours. It includes an inspection of all the most famous exhibits of the museum. It can be expanded if you plan to visit the Galleries of Jewels or the Menshikov Palace.
There are also thematic tours for parents with children (no younger than six years old), during which the kids get acquainted with world masterpieces in a fascinating and understandable way.
