Project of the State Hermitage and Coca Cola: The State Hermitage - General Staff Building. Museum of the 21st Century

On 6 June 2007, the State Hermitage and Coca Cola conducted a joint press conference at which they presented their project entitled The State Hermitage - General Staff Building. Museum of the 21st Century. This project turns a new page in the history of relations between the State Hermitage and the Coca Cola Company and will make a real contribution to preserving and increasing Russia's cultural heritage, all the more so as the Museum of the 21st Century is called upon to become a multifunctional social and cultural complex which will make it possible to take a broad look at the multifaceted and multilayer picture of creativity in our modern age.

The new joint project between the State Hermitage and the Coca Cola Company is going forward under the slogan "Let's Save the Cultural Heritage Together!" It is an outstanding cultural event in terms of its concept and at the same it is an example of corporate social responsibility. In the framework of the proposed campaign, Coca Cola has prepared a limited edition of exclusive collector cans of Coca Cola showing portions of pictures that are on display in the State Hermitage. Part of the proceeds from sale of each can as well as Company contributions will go to support the project of The State Hermitage - General Staff Building. Museum of the 21st Century.

During the June 6th press conference in the State Hermitage, the first set of collectors' cans was personally signed by the Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky and was sent to the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta (USA), where it will be kept as a prestigious exhibit item.

Brief Background Information

The history of cooperation between the Coca Cola Company and the State Hermitage goes back to 1993, when the Company's charitable foundation donated $320,000 to purchase equipment for the Laboratory of Scientific Restoration of Tempera Paintings. Over the years, the joint work of Coca Cola and the State Hermitage resulted in the implementation of dozens of important cultural, educational and social projects. Among the global tasks which are the keystone of the joint partnership projects between the State Hermitage and the Coca Cola Company are concern for the preservation of monuments of culture, support for young talents and ensuring the conditions for their artistic work, as well as the introduction of modern information products and technologies in the sphere of culture. Thus, for example, in 2003 the joint campaign "Let's Save the Cultural Heritage Together!" within the framework of celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the founding of St Petersburg, resulted in the funding of restoration of the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. Within the context of this project, a special series of Coca Cola cans was released onto the Russian market bearing images from the State Hermitage and part of the sales receipts as well as Company contributions were paid into a fund of the State Hermitage.

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Clyde Tuggle, president of the Russia, Ukraine & Belarus Business Unit of The Coca-Cola Company, presents Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, with a symbolic check for 3,900,000 rubles

Anna Kozlovskaya, Head of Public Affairs & Communications Department LLC Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia (Moscow Branch)

Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, signs the first set of cans for collectors