The Baltic States, St. Petersburg, and Moscow
September 26 - October 14, 2013
Part Four - St. Petersburg, Russia
Page Two - Hermitage Museum and Folk Show
Palace Square is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former
Russian Empire. It was the setting of many events of worldwide significance,
including the Bloody Sunday (1905) and the October Revolution of 1917.
The earliest and most celebrated building on the square is the baroque
white-and-azure Winter Palace of Russian czars (1754–62), which gave
the square its name (now part of the State Hermitage Museum). Shown here
is the classical yellow-and-white building of the former Imperial Army
General Staff (built between 1819 and 1829). The building encircles
the southern side of the square and combines a central arch,
designed as a Triumphal Arch after the ancient architecture
of the Classical World.
School kids inside the Hermitage Museum.
One of the largest and oldest museums in the world, it was founded
in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since
1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,
comprise over three million items, including the largest collection of
paintings in the world.
The State Hermitage Museum includes the former private art collection of the
czars. The walls are works of art as well, since the collection is is housed in the
lavish Winter Palace, an example of Russian baroque magnificence. The name
Hermitage comes from Catherine the Great (1729-96) who used the Palace for
her private apartments as a place of retreat and seclusion. She said, "Only the
mice and I can admire all of this." Catherine set out to acquire some of the
world's finest art. Here you can see paintings by DaVinci, Rembrandt, Matisse,
and many other world famous artists.
Leonardo da Vinci - Madonna and Child
Raphael Loggias Hall
The Italian Skylight Room. One could spend days in the Museum.
Our handsome driver in St. Petersburg
One evening some of us went to a Russian Folk Show performance in the
Concert Hall of Nikolaevsky Palace. Dances and songs from different
provinces of Russia were performed by professional folk groups.
Some of the cast getting ready to bow at the conclusion
of the performance.
Exterior of Nikolaevsky Palace after the performance.
Link to Page Three - Cathedral of St Nicholas, St. Petersburg Synagogue,
and Peter and Paul Fortress
Pat's Home Page