During the Hermitage Days, the Foyer of the theater is the location for the exhibition “The Hermitage in Photographs” that invites visitors to look at the events of the year drawing to a close through the camera lens.

E.N Khodza, Antichnye terakoty iz sobraniia P.A. Saburova (St Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishing House, 2018. 368 pp., ill.)

V.Iu. Matveev Solnechnye, zvezdnye i lunnye chasy v sobranii Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha (St Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishing House, 2018. 240 pp., ill.)

“Mebel’ dlia vsekh prichud tela” [“Furniture for a Body’s Every Whim…”] exhibition catalogue (St Petersburg: State Hermitage Publishing House, 2018 – 318 pp., ill.)

Alexander Sivkov – Dvortsy Ermitazha v sovetskii period (St Petersburg, State Hermitage Publishing House, 2018. 550 pp., ill.)

This exhibition traditionally takes place during the Hermitage Days, the time when the museum reviews the work accomplished during the year and holds important events. New permanent displays and temporary exhibitions begin functioning. A sort of report on the museum’s activities is provided by two exhibitions: “The Hermitage in the World of Publications”, which features all the publications that came out over the year, and “The Hermitage in Photographs”.

Originally, when the exhibition “The Hermitage in Photographs” was first conceived, the aim was to show the skills of the artistic photographers belonging to the Editorial and Publishing Department and at the same time to reflect as fully as possible all aspects of the life of the museum. Over the years, though, that idea has been transformed because the number of events in the museum has become much greater than can be fitted in the exhibition space. Many are only in part Hermitage events: they are connected with other museums in the country, with the problems of the museum community, and with culture more generally. Precisely for that reason over the period that “The Hermitage in Photographs” exhibition has been held, the concept has changed. Today it is to a greater degree an exhibition of portraits of members of the Hermitage staff opening exhibitions and speaking at conferences. Thanks to these people's efforts the museum exists and is developing. Their hard work makes it possible to preserve the world’s cultural heritage and provides the whole world with the opportunity to enjoy masterpieces of world art.

The curators of the exhibition are Yelena Vladimirovna Zviagintseva, head of the State Hermitage’s Editorial and Publishing Department, and Andrei Vladimirovich Terebenin, head of the photography sector within the department. The exhibition is accompanied by a book Ermitazh v fotografiakh , which is an expanded catalog of the photographic exhibition.

During the Hermitage Days, the Foyer of the Theater also traditionally contains an exhibition telling about the museum’s research and exhibition activities in the past year. In 2018 the State Hermitage brought out more than 50 publications. The Hermitage's books and brochures are varied in genre and subject matter. They include full catalogs of the collections and catalogs of temporary exhibitions, monographs, collections of scholarly papers in the series Transactions of the State Hermitage and Reports of the State Hermitage, and educational books. The aim of the Hermitage’s publishing activities is to spread knowledge about the museum’s collections and they are aimed at a wide range of readerships, both specialists and the broad public.

A unique book connected with the history of the museum was the publication of the manuscript The Palaces of the Hermitage in the Soviet Period by Alexander Sivkov, who was chief architect of the Hermitage from 1925 to 1959. The work contains an account of the reconstruction of the buildings of the former imperial residence after it became a public museum, about life in the Hermitage during the Great Patriotic War and about the further evolution of the museum. The author’s text is supplemented with commentaries compiled by Svetlana Yanchenko, senior researcher in the Department of the History and Restoration of Architectural Monuments.

In 2018 three catalogs of collections were published: French 15th–17th-Century Painting (the author is Natalia Serebriannaya, the keeper of the Hermitage's collection of French painting), Painting of the Scandinavian Countries and Finland 18th–20th Centuries (catalogue prepared by the keepers of the Department of the History of Western European Fine Art Yelizaveta Renne and Alexander Babin) and Byzantine Weights (authored by Vera Guruleva, the keeper of the Byzantine numismatics collection).

A large portion of the Hermitage's publications consists of catalogs of temporary exhibitions. One of the latest, which came out in November this year, is Brush and Kalam. The 200th Anniversary of the Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts. This fundamental publication was produced for the exhibition of Eastern writings from the collection of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Oriental Manuscripts and the State Hermitage.

A number of catalogs present the Hermitage's own collections. They include, for example, the catalog “Furniture for a Body’s Every Whim…” The Age of Historicism in Russia prepared for the exhibition of the same name by Natalia Guseva, the keeper of the Hermitage’s furniture collection.

2018 saw the publication of a monumental monograph by Yelena Khodza, the keeper of ancient terracottas – Ancient Terracottas from the Collection of P.A. Saburov. The book is dedicated to the collection of an eminent diplomat and collector that entered the Imperial Hermitage in 1884.

Another monograph was the posthumous publication of the book Sundials, Star and Lunar Clocks in the Collection of the State Hermitage by Vladimir Matveyev (1948–2015), a Deputy Director of the Hermitage who for more than 30 years was the keeper of the stock of scientific instruments in the Department of the History of Russian Culture. That work was the result of many years spent studying the Hermitage collection and is one of the, as yet, few publications of objects in the State Hermitage representing the history of science and technology.

A series of albums of Hermitage masterpieces is aimed at the wider public. This year saw the publication of Western European Painting of the 14th – Early 20th Centuries in the Hermitage Collection. Following tradition, the album contains the 100 most famous masterpieces of Western European painting. Like all works in the series, this book came out in two language versions, in Russian and in English.

All Hermitage publications are sent to museums and libraries in Russia and abroad. Each year the Hermitage presents its books at the international book fairs in Frankfurt and Vilnius and at the NON-fiction exhibition-fair of intellectual literature in Moscow.

The exhibition curator is Natalia Martynenko, deputy head of the Hermitage's Research Library.

The Hermitage has developed tour cycles for children of all ages, starting from 6 years old. Tours take place in a fascinating way in the halls of the Hermitage and include game elements. Interactive classes bring parents and children together with a common interest in the visual arts.

The cost of subscriptions for parents with children for 5 lessons: for children - 1000 rubles, for adults - 2500 rubles. A complete list of subscriptions can be found here.

For organized groups from school and preschool institutions are offered programs“Fairytale Hermitage”, “Planet Hermitage”, “First Steps in Art”, “The Object and Its Life in Art”, which involve the first acquaintance with the museum, its buildings, famous masterpieces, introduce the child to the world of art. Cycles of thematic excursions run from October to May. Subscription visit. Cost: from 3750 to 6250 rubles. Details at the link.

Programs for schoolchildren in grades 4-6 are devoted to the pages of Russian history, the art of the Ancient World and the European Middle Ages. Acquaintance with the culture and art of different historical epochs on the example of authentic works from the Hermitage collection makes it possible to supplement the basic knowledge of schoolchildren in world history. Details at the link.

The Hermitage also has the oldest museum art studio in Russia. The unique training program includes performing creative tasks that develop artistic abilities, as well as getting to know the masterpieces of fine art from the museum's collection. Classes are held in the premises of the Art Studio and in the halls of the museum. The program is designed for 6 years of study. The Art Studio accepts children only five years of age on a competitive basis. The competition is held in mid-September (viewing works and talking with the child). 15 children are accepted annually. Details at the link.

For children in the Hermitage work clubs and clubs where you can get acquainted with the world of art and try yourself in creative and scientific work. Classes in the Hermitage circles will help you become a connoisseur of the museum and history, will significantly broaden your horizons and, perhaps, guide you in choosing your future profession.

Admission to circles is carried out in September based on the results of the interview. Classes for children in grades 5-11 are held from October to April, once a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. Start at 16.00. Classes for children in grades 1-4 are held on Saturdays, according to a special schedule. All classes are free. A list of circles can be found on the website.

The Hermitage School Center offers schoolchildren of all ages exciting game routes, which allow you to independently get acquainted with the halls and collections of the museum. During the game-journey, children find answers to the questions of the quest, solve riddles and reveal the secrets of the Hermitage monuments.

Quests (travel games) carried out during from October to April, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11.00 to 17.00. Pre-registration required. On Saturdays from 14.00 to 16.00, parents with children can go along the chosen route without an appointment. The cost of participation in the program for a child is 80 rubles. Adults accompanying the child will purchase a normal admission ticket.

Palace Menagerie: Dogs
(About true friends and helpers of a person: about dog breeds, hunting traditions and about what other role dogs played in a person’s life)
For students in grades 1-2.

"Ceremonial halls of the Winter Palace"
(What did the decoration of the halls tell the ambassadors and official guests of the imperial family?)

Stairs of the Hermitage
(Appointment of stairs, decorative decoration of stairs)
For students in grades 1-2 and 3-4.

"Meet the Heroes"
(Who can be called a hero? Is it easy to be one? Acquaintance with heroes: mythical characters and historical figures?)
For students in grades 1-2 and 3-4.

• Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10:30 - 18:00 (ticket office closes at 17:00);
• Wednesday and Friday 10:30 - 21:00 (ticket office closes at 20:00);
• Monday is a day off.

How to get to the Hermitage

The Hermitage is located in the very center of St. Petersburg, on Palace Square. The nearest metro station is Admiralteyskaya. When exiting the metro, turn left and walk a few meters to Malaya Morskaya Street. Turn right and walk a few meters to Nevsky Prospekt. You need to go left along Nevsky Prospekt and you will find yourself on Palace Square. The entrance to the Hermitage is located on Palace Square.

You can also walk from the Nevsky Prospekt / Gostiny Dvor stations. From the metro go along Nevsky Prospekt towards the Admiralty to Bolshaya Morskaya Street. At the intersection of Bolshaya Morskaya and Nevsky Prospekt you will see the arch of the General Staff building, through which you will get to Palace Square. Entrance to the museum from Palace Square.

The cost of tickets to the Hermitage in 2019

• for citizens of Russia and Belarus - 400 rubles;
• for pensioners (citizens of Russia), children and students (any countries) - free of charge;
• for foreign citizens (including CIS countries) - 700 rubles;
• amateur photography - free of charge. Shooting with a tripod, shooting with flash is prohibited;
• free visit- the third Thursday of each month, March 8, May 18 and December 7 (Hermitage Day) for all categories of visitors.