The famous Hermitage can be safely called the property of not only St. Petersburg or even Russia but also the whole world. It is one of the most popular museums in the world, and quite deservedly because there is no such collection of priceless works of art anywhere else. The Hermitage is the main reason why tourists come to the Northern capital, which, frankly speaking, has other equally interesting sights. But this museum is truly unique! And it is worth visiting.
25 Interesting Facts about the Hermitage Museum Russia :
* Its very name is borrowed from the French language, from which it is translated as “a secluded place”.
* The Winter Palace, where the Hermitage is located, has served as a residence for Russian monarchs for many years.
* It was estimated that it would take almost eleven years for a person to inspect all the exhibits of the Hermitage, doing this for eight hours daily and spending only one minute on one object.
* The Hermitage was founded by the order of Empress Catherine II.
* Before the revolution of 1917, it was called the “Imperial Hermitage”. Later, the first word was removed from the name.
* In total, it contains about 3,000,000 works of art, most of which are truly priceless.
* In the first years after the foundation of the Hermitage, the museum was located in one of the wings of the Winter Palace. Later, he occupied it entirely.
* Visiting this museum will cost more for foreigners than for holders of Russian passports.
* For about two centuries, many cats have been living legally in the Hermitage. Once they were specially placed in the museum to fight mice and rats.
* The sculptures on the roof of the Hermitage were placed there by architects to hide the chimneys. There are as many as 176 of them in total.
* The Hermitage has a collection of 24 Rembrandt canvases. This is the largest collection of his works outside of his native country
* The total length of all the exhibition halls of the Hermitage reaches 24 kilometers.
* This gigantic museum complex consists of 350 separate halls.
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* Nicholas I, staying in the Winter Palace, occupied modest small rooms on the third floor.
* The Hermitage has a collection of more than 2000 card decks from around the world, collected by Russian General Ivkov.
* As you know, Emperor Nicholas II adored his collection of cars. The Imperial Garage was located between the Small Hermitage and the Winter Palace. Unfortunately, cars were stolen during the revolution.
* The Hermitage has long been one of the twenty most visited museums in the world.
* In the Hermitage there is a golden snuffbox, with which the Russian Emperor Paul I was killed.
* The buildings of the Hermitage received their usual color after the Great Patriotic War. Before that, they managed to stay pink, red, and yellow.
* The only paintings by Leonardo da Vinci in Russia are exhibited in the Hermitage.
* A small part of the Hermitage collection, about fifty exhibits from among the fabulously expensive ones, were sold by the Soviet authorities in the 30s of the XX century.
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* Since the foundation of this museum, the priceless collection of the Hermitage has been replenished mainly by the efforts of Russian monarchs.
* The Hermitage is the largest art gallery in the world.
* In the 60s of the XX century, a priceless painting was accidentally discovered behind a cabinet in the Hermitage, which probably had been lying there since time immemorial.
* The Hermitage is one of the five most visited museums in the Russian Federation.
* It was once very difficult to visit the Hermitage. Even the famous A. S. Pushkin sought this permission for a long time.
* Unique and at the same time, creepy exhibits made of human skin are stored here.
* In addition to the Winter Palace, the Hermitage occupies 4 more buildings on the Nevsky Embankment.
* The first air conditioners appeared in the Hermitage back in 1912.
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Conclusion :
Hermitage Museum in Russia is one of the most top-rated museums in the world. Have this on your list to have look at least once in a lifetime.
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