Hermitage Museum

Why go

Hermitage Museum rewards attention to scale, orientation, and setting. The State Hermitage (Государственный Эрмитаж) is a museum of art and culture situated in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Before leaving, compare one close detail of Hermitage Museum with its broadest public view. At Hermitage Museum, a slower circuit makes Hermitage Museum's neighborhood relationship easier to read.

What to look for

• Hermitage Museum: Compare the formal entrance with the less ceremonial edges.
• Hermitage Museum: Watch how light changes the relief and surface color.
• Hermitage Museum: Include the adjacent street or waterfront in the final view.

The full story

The State Hermitage (Государственный Эрмитаж) is a museum of art and culture situated in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and open to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display, comprise nearly 3 million items, including the largest collection of paintings in the world. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors. Apart from them, the Menshikov Palace, Museum of Porcelain, Storage Facility at Staraya Derevnya and the eastern wing of the General Staff Building also make part of the museum. The museum has several exhibition centers abroad. The Hermitage is a federal state property. Out of six buildings of the main museum complex, four, namely the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage and New Hermitage, are partially open to the public.

Useful to know

• Check the current admission calendar for Hermitage Museum before building an interior visit around it.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.