Old Hermitage
(Old Hermitage, Ermitage, Старый Эрмитаж, also Big, Large or Grand Hermitage or Bolshoi Ermitage, in St. Petersburg, St.Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Saint-Petersbourg, Sankt-Petersburg, Sankt-Petersurg, Санкт-Петербург) . Russian words and phrases are in Cyrillic Windows encoding.
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Architect Juri (Iuri, Iouri,
Yuri) Velten designed and built Old Hermitage (or Stary Ermitage, Старый Эрмитаж)
between 1771 and 1775. It is the structure immediately adjacent to the eastern
part of the Small Hermitage. Although it is known as the Old Hermitage, the
building is newer than the Small Hermitage. This neoclassical structure was
built to house the first museum collections and books of the Russian
Library (which has become independent institution since). Velten and his
building team erected the Old Hermitage on much older foundation or rather several
foundations left from early 18 century buildings, which they demolished to clear
space for the Old Hermitage. Reportedly, some old construction materials were
recycled and re-used in the Old Hermitage structure. The Old Hermitage is also
known as the Big (Large or Grand) Hermitage (Bolshoi Ermitage, Большой Эрмитаж)
for it is bigger than the Small Hermitage to the west. Although Juri Velten
never lived in the museum building, 18 and 19 century Petersburgers called it
Veltenov Dom or House of Velten or Velten’s House. The structure and the interior
of the Old Hermitage was modified between 1850 and 1851 although the original
facade was left intact. Under the direction of Andrei Stackenschneider, a fashionable
mid 19 century architect, a modern wrought iron and steel structure replaced
old wooden floors and ceiling supports. A new entrance and magnificent staircase
built of Carrara marble and porphyry from Olonets (Olonec, Олонец) island quarries
from the north of Russia replaced Velten’s large neoclassical hall. A corridor
connects the building to the Small Hermitage to the west and the eastern part
of the faсade is linked to the Hermitage Theater by a flying arch constructed
over Zimniaia (Zimna) Kanavka or the little Winter Canal.
Address: Dvortsovaia Ploshchad,
34 (34 Palace Square).
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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