"All Soviet citizens entered the year 1941 with unease. In the Hermitage, in the strong cellars, reliable bomb shelters were being built; crates were prepared for the evacuation of exhibits, each with its own number, a list of items that were to go into it and packing material, while the crates intended for paintings were fitted with sockets the size of the stretchers, which considerably simplified packing."

Boris Piotrovsky

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Boris
Borisovich
Piotrovsky
(1908–1990),
Hermitage Director
from 1964
Drawing by
G. Vereisky
Larger view