What places most frequently visited by tourists, arrived in St. Petersburg?Hermitage, Kunstkamera and the cruiser "Aurora".
The Hermitage is unique?
It is the world's largest art and cultural-historical museum.He is also well known and popular as the Louvre, the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.State Hermitage 3 million exhibits, including paintings alone, there are 15 thousand.It is estimated that if everyone paid museum exhibits only 1 minute, to see all the collections of the Hermitage need ... 8 years!And it is considering only permanent exhibitions, but temporary exhibitions.The Hermitage also organizes each month a dozen such.And the length of the corridors is 20 km away.But the main highlight of this museum is not on the scale and not the number of stored historical items, and that there are many original masterpieces of world painting and other art forms.
Where is?
Town Museum - the Palace Embankment.The State Hermitage Museum - is a complex of five buildings (the Winter Palace, the New Hermitage, Hermitage, the Small Hermitage and the Hermitage Theatre).The main entrance is located at Palace Square, 2.
schedule
State Hermitage is ready to receive visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, starting at 10.30.End of work - 18.00, but on Wednesday - 21.00.Output - Monday.But note: cash stop selling tickets an hour before closing.It is better to plan the trip to the Hermitage on the clock before lunch on weekdays - fewer people.But over the weekend sometimes need to stand in line for about an hour.
Tickets
tickets to the Hermitage are relatively inexpensive.For citizens of the Russian price of 100 p., Pensioners, students and children - free of charge.Foreigners will have to pay 350 rubles.But every first Thursday of the month - a free day for all.
History
In 1764, Catherine the Great purchased 225 paintings from the collection of the German merchant Johann Gotzkowsky.This collection was designed for King Frederick II of Prussia, but because of financial problems he was not able to redeem.The enterprising merchant, offered to do the Russian empress, and she agreed without hesitation, in order to show off in front of a German monarch.Since Gotzkowsky did not have deep knowledge in the field of art, the collection includes paintings rather mediocre (in comparison with those that came later).It was mostly work of the hands of the Dutch and Flemish masters, as well as some works by Italian artists of the XVII century.But among them are the works of Hals and the wall.
This year (1764 th) and is considered the founding year of the Hermitage, although the museum in the modern sense of the word did not exist.After five years, the acquisition was as follows: 600 paintings from the private collection of Count von Bruhl.Here are the most valuable exhibits: "Portrait of an Old Man in Red" Rembrandt, "Perseus and Andromeda" Rubens and others.
another 400 paintings bought by the French collector Pierre Crozat.Thus in St. Petersburg proved to be "Holy Family" by Raphael, "Judith" by Giorgione, "Danae" by Titian, "Portrait of the Infanta Isabella maid" by Rubens, "Self-Portrait" by Van Dyck.
Catherine to acquire the masterpieces of world art was primarily a political gesture to show that the Russian Empire - the developed and the non-poor country that can afford such a luxury.In 1774, the Empress was in possession of pictures in 2080, but public access to them was not.This period is the famous phrase of Catherine that it admires and it is only a mouse.Although later access gallery was opened, but special permission.
later came to the Hermitage property removed from the mansions of the nobility and other royal palaces.Museum replenished private collections of the Yusupov, Stroganov, Sheremetev.Also, other institutions transferred their exhibits to the Hermitage.
collection of paintings
Through the exhibits of the Hermitage, one can trace the history of world art and see how art developed in England, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy, France and other countries.For example, in the collection of 7000 paintings presented only European artists from the Middle Ages and ending with the last century.Besides the permanent exhibition, there are also temporary exhibitions.Hermitage is careful preservation of valuable cultural heritage of the past, so some samples are open to public access just a few weeks a year with a view to their savings.
Halls of Western European art decorated in chronological and geographical, that is collected in one particular country artists work for a specific period of time.For example, a gallery of Italian painting XIII-XVIII centuries can boast of such masterpieces as "The Annunciation" by Simone Martini, "Benois Madonna" and "Madonna Litta" Leonardo da Vinci's "The Holy Family" by Raphael.
very rich exhibition of the Flemish fine art XVII-XVIII centuries.The pride of the collection - 32 paintings of Rubens ("The Union of Earth and Water", "Bacchus" and large monumental and decorative cycles), 24 works of his pupil Van Dyck ("Self-Portrait").
In the gallery of Spanish painting XV - early XVIII century paintings are stored El Greco ("The Apostles Peter and Paul"), Velazquez ("breakfast"), de Goya ("Portrait of the Actress Antonia Zarate").You can observe the development of Gothic and realistic tendencies and karavadzhizma.
exceptionally rich collection of paintings (around 1000) Dutch artists, including early and late Rembrandt.
as widespread as in the Hermitage, English painting is represented except in Great Britain.Great interest is the work of the court portrait.One of the world-famous paintings is "Portrait of a Lady in Blue" by Thomas Gainsborough.
In the exhibition hall of the French painting XV-XVIII centuries, the most important place is occupied by the brush classicist Nicolas Poussin.A collection of works by the second half of XIX - XX century is considered one of the best in the world.Then there are the famous impressionist Monet ("Lady in the Garden," "Waterloo Bridge") and Renoir ("Girl with a Fan"), and Degas ("Concorde").The pride of the collection - 38 originals and 31 Matisse - Picasso.
In the hall of the German masters of the art highlights of Berlin and Munich schools.Also attracted the attention of battle paintings devoted to the Patriotic War of 1812 and the work of Frederick in the Romantic style.
recent State Hermitage bought "Black Square" by Malevich.This is one of the most famous works of Russian art of the last century.
What is the conclusion?I could go on and talk about the architectural monuments and sculptures about the Hermitage.But to read about the masterpieces of painting a much less exciting than enjoy the beautiful firsthand.Therefore it is necessary without hesitation to go and buy tickets to the Hermitage for the entire family.It will be informative.
