Press-conference devoted to the opening of the large Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre

10 June 2009, the State Hermitage hosted a press-conference devoted to the large Hermitage • Amsterdam centre. The official opening of the centre is to take place on the 20th of June, and the first two days it will be opened twenty-four hours.

The Director of the State Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, told the journalists at the press-conference about the preparation works for that significant event.

"In a certain sense it is a new exhibition hall of the Hermitage, the only difference is that it is located in Amsterdam. It is important to remember that this centre is not the property of the Hermitage. It is Dutch. The Hermitage organizes exhibitions, restores items, prepares catalogues. The Dutch side is responsible for all the infrastructure and the promotion,quot; was Mikhail Piotrovsky's answer to the questions of the journalists.

The first exhibition of the centre in the restored Amstelhof building will be the At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century exhibition.

"We have never organized such a large exhibition in Russia, since the Hermitage has no such big building at its disposal; however, we will definitely show the exhibition in Russia, I don't know yet where we will find the venue, but we will think of something", Mikhail Piotrovsky added.

Tatyana Baranova, head of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation told the journalists about the enormous work carried out by the restorers of the museum who have prepared more than 500 items for the exhibition. June 10, 2009 a joint action organized by the State Hermitage and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in connection with the opening of the exhibition centre Hermitage • Amsterdam was launched. Within the frames of the programme devoted to the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the company, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offer their passengers a ticket from Russia to Amsterdam at a special price at their website www.klm.com. In addition, the passenger receives a free entrance ticket to the exhibition At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century in the newly opened branch of the Hermitage in the Netherlands, the Hermitage • Amsterdam centre.

Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, presents the new Hermitage • Amsterdam centre

Tatyana Baranova, head of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation of the State Hermitage

At the press-conference in the Hermitage Theatre