RUSSIA // On the banks of the River Neva is the gilded-green Winter Palace of Catherine the Great, now one of the world's most magnificent art museums. The empress commissioned the Hermitage in 1764 to store her private collection; subsequent leaders added to the exhibits, which were greatly enriched in the post-revolutionary period with works seized from the wealthy. Today the six-building complex holds everything from Paleolithic pottery to paintings by da Vinci and Titian, and from Buddhist icons to Fabergè eggs and modernist sculptures. The Winter Palace itself is part of the arti descending the white marble Jordan Staircase will make you felie? tsar or tsarina of yore. Indulge in a private tour if you can- itsthe cal way to visit the fabulous baubles in the Treasure Gallery.

Why is the State Hermitage Museum famous?

The Hermitage's holdings include nearly three million items from the Stone Age to the present day. It has one of the richest collections of Western European paintings from the Middle Ages, including many masterpieces by Dutch, Flemish and French painters of the Italian Renaissance and Baroque.

Why is it called the Hermitage?

To store these paintings, Catherine ordered the construction of a new building next to the Winter Palace called the Small Hermitage. The word Hermitage means "dwelling of a hermit" and was named because Catherine saw the place as a retreat from court life.

What city is the State Hermitage Museum?

Saint Petersburg, Russia

What is the largest art museum in the world St Petersburg?

The Hermitage, St. Petersburg's most popular visitor attraction, and one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world, is a must-see for all first-time travelers to the city.