2011: 100 years of the Hermitage Garage

In 2011 the Winter Palace Garage celebrates its 100th anniversary. The heir to the Imperial Garage in the Winter Palace is the Road Transport Department of the State Hermitage.

The history of the garage began in 1910 when Emperor Nicholas II ordered the construction of a special building on the territory of the Winter Palace. In 1911, architect N.I. Kramskoy (1863-1938) designed a garage for the cars serving the imperial family which was built in the Black passage of the Winter Palace.

The Imperial Garage was the largest motor car company of its time in Russia. All the cars were divided into several sections. The top category contained the so called imperial cars, which were very expensive and comfortable even for those times: Delaunay-Belleville, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, etc,

The garage building, which has been preserved in almost its original condition, is an example of an early 20th century garage.

The Winter Palace Garage is today used by the Road Transport Department to house State Hermitage cars

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