If you have been to St. Petersburg, then you must have visited the Hermitage. You can only envy, because you have seen the most luxurious museum in the world. It is on a par with such giants as the Metropolitan, the British Museum, the Louvre. The throne halls of the Hermitage amaze visitors.
The museum exhibits more than 3,000,000 art objects. To view all the expositions, you need to overcome 20,000 km. If you inspect each exhibit for about one minute, it will take 8 years of life. In this article you will find a description of the throne rooms of the Hermitage. The museum complex consists of 5 buildings. All of them are interconnected and are located on the Palace Embankment.
Winter Palace
This is a legendary building, it is the most famous in the world. The current Winter Palace is the fifth in a row structure and has an extensive history. The building that our generation inherited was created by the great architect Rastrelli in 1754-1762. It belongs to the Baroque style, with some interspersed rococo. With the advent of Soviet power, the main exposition of the State Hermitage was placed in the building of the Winter Palace .
Until 1904, Nicholas II lived here in the cold season. Later, the ruler began to winter in Tsarskoye Selo. It is difficult to imagine that in 1915-1917 a hospital was organized here, which was named in honor of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich.
During the October Revolution, the palace was occupied by the Provisional Government. In the winter of 1920 of the last century, the Museum of the Revolution was opened here . Before the start of the Second World War, he shared one location with the Hermitage. Modern St. Petersburg is proud of the Winter Palace and Palace Square, which form a single architectural ensemble.
The Small Throne Room of the Hermitage in the Winter Palace
It was designed in 1833 by the architect O. Montferrand. It is also called the Petrovsky Small Throne Hall of the Hermitage, as it is dedicated to the memory of the great Peter I.
Here is the throne of the emperor, made of silver with gilding. It was made in the UK by K. Clausen in 1731. Behind him in the triumphal arch of jasper is the painting “Peter I with the Goddess of Wisdom Minerva”, written by Jacopo Amigoni. Above are paintings that can be used to study the history of the Northern War. The canvases depict the battle of Poltava and the battle of Lesnaya. They are written by B. Medici and B. Scotty.
The interior of this throne room of the Hermitage is decorated with the monogram of Emperor Peter I - two-headed eagles and a pair of P characters in Latin. The hall is draped with silver-embroidered panels, which are made of raspberry-colored Lyon velvet.
Big Throne Hall
It is also called the St. George Hall. The project of the Great Throne Hall in the Hermitage was created by J. Kvarneghi in 1790 by order of Catherine II. For almost 130 years, the most important ceremonies and receptions of diplomats took place here, that is, it made the most important decisions in the political life of the Russian Empire. Today, the hall opens only for especially important events. This is a huge room, the interior of which is designed in two colors. The hall was consecrated on November 26, 1795, on the day of St. George the Victorious.
In 1837 there was a terrible fire. The throne room of the Hermitage completely burned out, but it was restored by Stasov on the orders of Nicholas II. The ruler wished to veneer the room with a rare view of white marble. The work was very difficult, which is why the opening of the hall happened later.
Above the throne, you can see a bas-relief of marble, which is called "St. George the Victorious, striking a dragon with a spear."
The first meeting of the State Duma
On April 7, 1906, an important event took place. For the first time, deputies of the State Duma gathered in the St. George Hall. In a festive atmosphere, Nicholas II himself came to them to discuss state affairs. A diverse people took part in the meeting: lawyers who were dressed in frock coats, villagers in homespun shirts and caftans, as well as clergymen.
During the revolution in 1917, all the symbols of the empire were withdrawn from the Great Throne Hall in the Hermitage. With the advent of Soviet power, the destruction of relics continued - in 1930 the throne was completely destroyed. After the Second World War, he was decorated with a huge map of the USSR, which was made of gems. Its creation was timed to coincide with the Paris World Exhibition in 1937. In the 80s, she was sent to the Mining Museum. During 1997-2000, artists and historians completely restored the throne place.
The Military Gallery of 1812 in the Hermitage
This room is located at number 197. The gallery is a talking monument to the exploits of the Russian people. There are 332 portraits of military leaders. All of them honestly fought for their homeland in 1812. Some heroes led the campaign of 1813-1814. The gallery project was created by C. Rossi, and the author of the paintings is Dow. Also in writing took part Russian artists - Polyakov and Golike. Portraits were mostly painted from nature. Some heroes at the time of the creation of the gallery were not alive, these portraits were redrawn from previously painted paintings. In the north wing of the hall are paintings depicting Alexander I and Friedrich-William III, who was his ally.
Theater foyer
In the passage between the Grand Hermitage and the theater there is a foyer that simply shockes guests with its stunning decoration. It was designed by the famous architect Benoit in 1903. The style of this room is French Rococo. Here are lush garlands of vegetation. The canvases that adorn the walls of the foyer are framed by gilded curls and rocaili.
The ceiling of the hall deserves special attention. On it you can see copies of the canvases of the Italian Luca Giordano. These are the famous:
- “The Court of Paris”;
- "The Abduction of Europe";
- The Triumph of Galatea.
Above the entrance to the hall hangs a picture of the ruins, authored by Hubert Robert. Portraits painted in the 18th – 19th centuries adorn the walls. From the huge windows of the lobby there is a gorgeous view of the Neva River and the Winter Canal.
The Hermitage has a total of 365 rooms. Each of them is unique in its own way and carries to the masses a piece of the history of our great Motherland. Every year it is visited by millions of guests - citizens and guests of St. Petersburg. The exterior of the palace complex is no less magnificent than its interiors. The Winter Palace is especially good at night, when the lights that are reflected in the Winter Canal burn. This is a canal that brings together two beautiful rivers - the Moika and the legendary beauty Neva.