What to Know Before Touring the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia is home to more than 1 million works of art and nearly 3 million exhibits in total. It’s actually the 2nd largest art museum in the world! (#1 is the Louvre.) The Hermitage is an absolute must-visit on your trip to St. Petersburg. This post will give a little background on it, as well as how to really make the most of your tour there!

From 1760 until 1917 it served as the home to Russian Tsars. (Catherine Palace was the summer home.)

Unlike Catherine, Peterhof and Pavlovsk Palaces…The Hermitage (Winter Palace) was not destroyed during WWII. This is because the Nazis never entered St. Petersburg during WWII. However, interiors had to undergo remodeling after a fire broke out in 1837.

Remember Empress Elizabeth? She’s responsible for how fancy Catherine Palace is. Well, she was also the driving factor behind the creation of the Hermitage. Unfortunately, though, she died before it was ever completed.

Catherine the Great was one of the greatest art collectors of all time. She is responsible for the basis of the exhibits in the Hermitage Museum. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).