The state Hermitage museum Situated in the centre of St Petersburg the State Hermitage Museum is housed in five magnificent buildings created by celebrated architects of the 18th to 19th century. The Winter Palace, formerly the residence of Russian Emperors which was constructed between 1754 and 1762 after a design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli, occupies an important place amongst the other constructions of the overall Museum ensemble.

Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage collections of works of art (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century. Today the Museum is creating its digital self-portrait to be displayed around the world. Computer technologies enable the State Hermitage Museum to provide people from all over the world with wider access to information about the Museum and its treasures.

The largest museum collection in the world is spread throughout six buildings. You enter the Winter Palace from the Neva Embankment; the next building to the east is the Little Hermitage; further east lies the Old Hermitage (facing the river) and the New Hermitage (facing Palace Square). An arched gallery spans the Winter Canal and leads to the Hermitage Theater.* Weekend visitors, especially those who come on a Sunday, will have plenty of time to admire the Hermitage from the outside as the line to get in can be long, requiring up to an hour's wait.

There are literally a zillion things to see in the Hermitage and it is well worth making more than one visit. People who try to see everything in one day will end up staggering out with smoke pouring from their ears, sore legs from the incredible distances covered, and their minds a blur of Rembrandts, medieval armored horses, and Egyptian mummies. The overwhelming museumness of the place is all the more enhanced by the incredible splendor of the buildings, inside and out: ornate and regal faĆades; huge frescoed halls; marble, wood, and mosaic floors; and statuettes, figurines, and antique furniture scattered about like sacks of potatoes at harvest time, all on such a grand scale that it boggles the mind.

address:-

Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya 34, entrance from the Neva Embankment. Metro: Nevsky Prospekt then trolleys 1, 7 or 10 to Dvortsovaya Ploshchad or 15 minute walk. Open 10:30-18:00, closed Mondays. Recorded information in Russian: 219 8625; Excursion bureau open 10:30-15:30. Tel: 311 3725 (Russian only, annoyingly enough).