Hermitage State Museum

The Winter Palace

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world.

Catherine the Great

It was founded by Catherine the Great as a private collection in 1764 and was opened to the public in 1852.

The collection of more than three million pieces includes the world's largest collection of paintings.


The main museum complex is made up of six buildings (five are open to the public) with the primary building being the Winter Palace which was the former home of Russian emperors. 


After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 the Hermitage was declared state property.  From 1920 to 1930, the collection increased in size as private collections were nationalized.


Many works were then transferred to other art museums in the USSR.  At the start of WWII, prior to the Leningrad siege, many important pieces were evacuated to the Urals.


This is one of the best museums I've ever visited.  It's simply incredible!!

Da Vinci's Madonna and Child

Here's an interesting video I found on YouTube about the museum's cats.

© Museum Secrets TV