The New Hermitage
(Hermitage Theatre, Hermitage Theatre, Ermitage, Ermitage'ny Teater, Ýðìèòàæíûé òåàòð, in St. Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Saint-Petersbourg, Sankt-Petersburg, Sankt-Petersurg, Ñàíêò-Ïåòåðáóðã) . Russian words and phrases are in Cyrillic Windows encoding. External links open in new window.
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The New Hermitage is reportedly the first public fine arts museum built in Russia. It is the fifth building of the Hermitage complex. The building, commissioned by Nicholas I and constructed between 1839 and 1852, was a collaborative projects of several architects and sculptors, - the structure was designed by Leo von Klenze, a notable Bavarian architect, construction work was carried out under supervision of Vassili (Vasili, Vasily) Stasov and Nikolai (Nicholas) Efimov, and many well-known sculptors participated in the creation of the New Hermitage. New Hermitage, initially known as the Imperial Museum, opened its' doors to the public on February 2, 1852 (or February 17 according the Gregorian calendar). The building is a refined neoclassical structure that evokes imagery of antiquity. The entrance to the building from Millionnaia street is a monumental portico supported by ten Atlantes (Atlant or Atlas is a titan condemned by Zeus to support the heavens on his shoulders for revolting against gods). Each five meter massive figure is cut from a single Ladoga granite monolith. It took Alexander Terebenev, the sculptor, helped by a large team of assistants, three years of uninterrupted work to complete the statues of Atlantes. Supposedly the visually striking portico and the Atlantes who carry its weight on their shoulders was inspired by the ancient Akragas in Sicily, - the Temple of Zeus Olympios and its sculptural representation of Gigantomachy. Atlantes pedestals, steps and the exterior panels of the buildings’ walls are made from polished pink Finnish granite (rapakivi) and the portico’s driveway is paved with polished diabase . According to one local belief, New Hermitage Atlantes can bring luck to marriage, so newlyweds come and touch the giants on their toes and the toes are noticeably shiny. Exterior of the building is decorated with cast bronze alloy replicas of sculptures famous in the history of European art. Interior of the building is absolutely stunning and no amount of writing could do it justice. Another interesting note about New Hermitage building is that it incorporates some of the old work from the previous, 18 century. A duplicate Raphael’s Loggia in Vatican (Stanze e Loggia di Raffaello), the entire gallery that is, meticulously copied and re-created under direction of Giacomo Quarenghi between 1783 and 1787, is a part of the New Hermitage.
Address: Millionnaia Ulitsa,
35 (35 Millionnaia Ulica or Street, Ìèëëèîííàÿ óëèöà, 35).
Subway/Metro: Nevsky Prospekt, then walk north or take one of trolley-buses
or regular buses running along Nevsky. Part of the State Hermitage Museum.
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