2: Anteroom

The second room of the exhibition is devoted to the defence of the Hermitage during the Second World War. Members of the museum staff kept a constant watch on the roofs of the buildings, removing incendiary shells and repairing holes in the walls and ceilings after bombardments. The photograph shows one of the air-raid defence personnel on the roof of the palace. Here too we can see tongs, a spade and shovel that were used to extinguish fire bombs in 1941–44 and were discovered in the attics. In this section traces of shell explosions have been left on the ceilings. The photograph of the Rastrelli Gallery shows the gaping hold left by the last shell to hit the Hermitage buildings during the war.