The Project "Technical Maintenance of the Educational and Lecturing Activities of the State Hermitage Museum"

One of the largest museums of the world, the State Hermitage Museum pays special attention to the educational activities and popularizing its collections. For this reason educational courses, lectures, scientific seminars, conferences and presentations of different events are organized.

Before the end of 2001 the State Hermitage Museum has plans to complete providing with technical equipment of six lecturing centers used for conducting educational and scientific activities including the Meeting Room of the Scientific Council of the Hermitage, lecture halls of the Scientific and Educational Centre of the Museum and the School Centre.

Technical equipment for the Lecture Hall in the General Staff Building became the first stage of the project "Technical maintenance of educational and lecturing activities of the State Hermitage Museum". The auditorium can house 235 students. The hall is equipped with a video projector, a video cassette recorder, a record-player DVD, a slide projector, a computer for multimedia programmes, and a number of other technical aids. Demonstration of video and computer programmes for the public will make lectures and seminars more colourful, captivating and easily understood. This stage of the project has been successfully completed due to the active support of the Samsung Electronics company. The cooperation of the State Hermitage and Samsung Electronics started in 1997 when the Museum got its first grant from the Cultural Fund of Samsung for the programme "The New Entrance for the Visitors of the State Hermitage Museum". In 1998 the company provided television projectors and monitors Samsung for the multimedia informational module installed at the Main Entrance to the State Hermitage Museum.

The Lecturing Bureau of the State Hermitage Museum
The University of culture started its work in the Lecturing Bureau of the State Hermitage in 1957. The topics of three courses (90 lectures) of the University are devoted to the development of the world art from the Stone Age till today. Part of the lecturing time is spent in the rooms of the Museum. 13 special series of lectures are dedicated to the creative careers of the prominent artists of the world, architectural monuments and art collections. "The Hermitage Saturdays" give a chance to listen to the lectures of the scientists of the Hermitage Museum on specialized subjects. The lecture curriculum is constantly renovated and is intended for wide public taking into account their interests and tastes. Every season more than 3 thousand students visit the lectures of the Lecturing Bureau. This figure may be added by participants of the single lectures, connected with temporary exhibitions and anniversary celebrations.

Director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky presentes a drawing maid in the Art Studio of the State Hermitage Museum to the representative of the Samsung Electronics company

Presentation of the joint Internet-project of the State Hermitage Museum and the Samsung Electronics company