Hermitage- Amstelhof Simultaneous Presentation in Two Cities

On 25 October 2005 the State Hermitage was the venue of a presentation by the Amsterdam-based architectural firm Hans van Heeswijk Architect BNA of preliminary plans for stage two in the reconstruction of the Amstelhof building to meet the needs of the Hermitage Amsterdam Exhibition Centre. A similar presentation took place in Amsterdam at the same time.

Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, led the presentation which took place in the Hermitage Theatre in St Petersburg. Simultaneously Ernst Veen, Director of the Hermitage Amsterdam Exhibition Centre, led the presentation in the Church Hall of the Amstelhof in Amsterdam.

In September 2005 the Government of The Netherlands decided to give its support to the plans for reconstructing the building by granting a one-time subsidy in the amount of 9 million Euros. This decision meant that the full cost of the Amstelhof reconstruction project, some 39 million Euros, has now been collected. The Governments of the Province of Northern Holland, the Mayor’s Office of Amsterdam, and the Foundation of the Bank Giro Loterij had previously agreed to participate in financing the project for the building’s reconstruction to meet the needs of the Hermitage Amsterdam Exhibition Centre.

The Amstelhof building will almost entirely preserve its original appearance after the reconstruction is carried out. What will be extensively changed is the interiors of the building, which, through the removal of many narrow corridors and small rooms, will be converted into a spacious exhibition area filled with light.

Mikhail B.Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage

Dick de Gunst, assistant to the architect of the project Hans van
Heeswijk

Amstelhof
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Main entrance
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Exhibition wings
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