The State Hermitage Museum

The State Hermitage is one of the largest art museums in the world. It is one of the places thousands of people around the world would dream to visit.  The Museum complex occupies seven buildings: the Winter Palace, the Small Hermitage, the Great (Old) Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Hermitage Theatre, the Menshikov Palace, and the General Staff Building. The collection of the State Hermitage Museum numbers about three million works of art and monuments of world culture including paintings, sculptures, and works of applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material. The collection was initiated by Empress Catherine II in 1764 and has since been constantly replenished. The main collections are displayed in the Winter Palace, which throughout its history, was the residence of the imperial family. 

The exhibition of the State Hermitage Museum is presented by the complex development of world art from the Stone Age. The Egyptian and Ancient Greek halls, the Scythian and Chinese art hall, ancient Russian expositions are the only part of the national permanent collections that are available to the public. Russian and Western European art, culture and art of the East, the art of the Ancient World, the vast numismatic collections and jewelry galleries complement the Museum's treasures. The Art Gallery, the core component of the entire collection of more than three million items, includes works of Western artists, from the XIII century to the present day. Thanks to bought collections by Empress Catherine II the museum presents artworks of masters of Italy (XVI-XVIII centuries.), France (XVII — XX centuries.), Spain (XVI-XVIII centuries.), Flanders and Holland (XVII century). Masterpieces of European art include paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens, Giorgione, Gainsborough, and many others. 

The State Hermitage Museum has successfully developed the system of service of residents and city guests. Lectures, excursions in different languages, special tourist programs — all these options are available to visitors. There are created special conditions for disabled people.