Its col­lec­tions include mas­ter­pieces of paint­ing, sculp­ture, archi­tec­ture, as well as archae­o­log­i­cal arti­facts and applied arts. Locat­ed in the cul­tur­al cap­i­tal of Rus­sia — St. Peters­burg, the Her­mitage is a colos­sal exhi­bi­tion ensem­ble. In addi­tion to art objects, the expo­si­tion includes the cer­e­mo­ni­al pos­ses­sions of impe­r­i­al per­sons.

Inter­est­ing Facts
— Of the 317 paint­ings that the Empress received in 1764, at least 96 can­vas­es are kept in the Her­mitage.
— Since the 18th cen­tu­ry, many cats have been liv­ing in the muse­um build­ings. They are con­sid­ered offi­cial employ­ees of the Her­mitage because they help to fight rodents that can dam­age valu­able works of art.
— There are 176 sculp­tures on the roof of the Win­ter Palace. They are placed in such a way as to hide the chim­neys from the eyes of passers-by.
— In the peri­od from 1964 to 1991 the muse­um was called the State Her­mitage of the Order of Lenin.
— Ini­tial­ly, the build­ings of the muse­um com­plex were paint­ed in dif­fer­ent col­ors. They acquired the usu­al green tint after the end of the Great Patri­ot­ic War.
— In the Her­mitage you can see a mas­sive gold snuff­box, which was used to kill Emper­or Paul I. A dent from the blow remained on its side.
— The Her­mitage is the only muse­um in Rus­sia that dis­plays can­vas­es cre­at­ed by Leonar­do da Vin­ci.
— The most expen­sive paint­ing in the gallery is Male­vich’s Black Square. Its cost is esti­mat­ed at 20 mil­lion dol­lars.
— The largest can­vas is Par­adise by Tin­toret­to. It occu­pies three exhi­bi­tion halls. The paint­ing is 7 meters high and 22 meters long.