On 17 September 2007 the State Hermitage Museum press service released an information communique in response to an article in the Smena paper of 11 September 2007 'Petersburg Guides Prepare for Walkout'.

Information Communique

Once again the State Hermitage Museum, along with other large museums has been exposed to baseless attacks concerning so-called 'licensing' of guides and interpreters from the regional organization the St. Petersburg Association of Guides and Interpreters - the voluntary members of this association are essentially a dissatisfied group among guides and interpreters.

It is worth noting that the Association shows extreme inconsistency - in their letter from 1 February 2007 (issue N 10) the Association states their respect and full understanding for the necessity of guides "to undertake courses studying the expositions, receiving the appropriate qualifications" - the letter was signed by the chairman of the St. Petersburg Association of Guides and Interpreter, Òatyana Ivanova. This fact is indicative that the Association does not have a fixed position and is dancing to someone else's tune.

Nevertheless, we once again would like to inform the general public that there are no financial links between the State Hermitage Museum and any guides or interpreters, and that the State Hermitage Museum has never had any such links. Furthermore, the State Hermitage Museum is not involved in any accreditation or licensing of guides, since it fully respects the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that specifically defines "illegal entrepreneurial activity" which could include the activities of independent interpreters within the territory of the State Hermitage Museum connected with the regular receipt of income.

We have business only with legal entities, which are involved in the extremely profitable tourist industry and also include international companies, that is, especially commercial activity. With the purpose of carrying out specifically these activities, rather than for the sake of cultural-educational goals, tour companies must sign contracts with the State Hermitage Museum, since in accordance with the Russian law "legal entities can carry out tourist-excursion activities at cultural sites only with the agreement of the cultural organizations" (Art. 53 "Basic Legislation of the Russian Federation on Culture" (approved by the Upper Senate of the Russian Federation on 9 October 1992, N 3612-1)). It is necessary to note separately that the State Hermitage Museum as a cultural organization is within its right, although by no means obligated to form such agreements with all who desire to do so - however, this is not a public contract.

In the conditions of the contract it is stipulated that tourism companies can attract for the purpose of their excursions our own specialists from the State Hermitage Museum or their own, which must attend seminars in order to receive the necessary information concerning the exhibitions and the regulations for holding excursions on the territory of the State Hermitage Museum. On completing the seminar, paid for by the tourist company the guide-interpreter receives a certificate, which raises his market value as a specialist of his immediate employer, the tour company.

In the majority of cases it is the tour companies and not the Association of Guides and Interpreters as part of the intermediary structure - as that organization calls itself in the letter addressed to the State Hermitage Museum - which send their people on courses, in order to receive the necessary knowledge and skills, and also those documents which confirm their ability for a set period (at the moment such a period is three years) to conduct excursions at the State Hermitage Museum as guides accompanying foreign tourists sent by the firms involved. In order to go through the Museum, one must know the text and the context, therefore even the process for extending certification is not simply a matter of signing papers, it requires teaching the guides new material and changes to the typical tourist routes etc.

As the Director of the Educational Department of the State Hermitage Museum, L.M. Ershova has commented: "We must teach, teach and teach new guides and interpreters so that we never hear such things like 'The Winter Palace is unique because it is made from stone' or 'Rembrandt lived in the period from the 16th to the 18th century', so that they do not confuse Byzantium with Venetian and marine painters (in Russian 'marinist') with mannerist, and so guides do not throw themselves on the mercy of museum staff to ask where the exit is. It is for this reason that we have the certification - it is the only way of evaluating whether a guide is suitably qualified for work with foreign tourists in the State Hermitage Museum. And this work must be done by museum staff who have mastered all the information about the museum and its changes".

The certificate itself does not have any value attached to it - tourist companies (or the Association) only pay for the consultation services, which are provided to legal entities, and not private individuals. The cost of this service is based on the number of consultations (no less than twenty) and their length (no less than two academic hours) - at present the cost for one person to participate in a seminar is 500 rubles - we would like to know where else tourist companies can receive the necessary information at the appropriate level for its employees at such a price, bearing in mind that the Hermitage Museum Seminars are conducted by highly professional academic staff, who have doctorates in art history.

We also note that Article 53 of the Basic Legislation of the Russian Federation on Culture - the basic document regulating the activities of the cultural establishments - gives the museum the right to fix the price for such work independently.

And finally, in the summer of this year, the State Hermitage Museum began an investigation (with the aid of law enforcement agencies), concerning the work of so-called freelance guides, soliciting foreign tourists at the museum. The cost of such services, the quality of which sometimes does not even reach the minimum standards for such excursions of the State Hermitage Museum, is terrific. Such excursions bring the State Hermitage Museum considerable material damage in losses and undoubtedly damages its business reputation.

Should the Association of Guides and Interpreters desire to help the State Hermitage Museum it could use its influence in the tourist industry and participate in solving the current situation. The State Hermitage Museum would without reservation accept such help, since we understand that in the final analysis all representatives of the tourist industry are our partners. And we are always ready to co-operate and open to discuss common problems.