Hermitage Museum

Situated in an impressive location on the banks of the River Neva in St Petersburg, the State Hermitage Museum consists of six magnificent buildings housing one of the most important art collections in the world. The origins of the collection date back to 1764 and Catherine the Great who began her own personal collection. The centre point of the Hermitage is the Winter Palace that began construction in 1754 as a royal residence. Built by the famous Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, visitors will be amazed at the grandeur and extravagance of the three-storey Baroque palace. Other impressive buildings include the Small Hermitage, the Great Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Theatre and the Menshikov Palace. Aside from the incredible architecture, the museum houses one of the best displays of art and artefacts in the world, some of which is thought to date back over 500,000 years to Palaeolithic times. Works of art in the collection include masterpieces by such celebrated artists as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso.