The Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre
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The Hermitage • Amsterdam centre was opened in 2004. Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who proclaimed himself the official Patron of the Hermitage's branch in Amsterdam, attended the festive opening ceremony. Since 2004, ten exhibitions from the State Hermitage were organized in the Neerlandia building (mid-19th century) - a side-wing of the Amstelhof. A plan for the reconstruction of the Neerlandia building was elaborated by the well-known Dutch architect Hubert-Jan Henket. Wim Crouwel, an outstanding interior designer and a consultant to the Hermitage-on-the-Amstel Foundation, took charge of the interior decoration works.

On 20 June 2009, the Hermitage • Amsterdam centre will welcome visitors in the restored Amstelhof building (1681-83). The former Nursing-home was allotted by the municipality of Amsterdam for the creation of the museum centre. It was reconstructed by Hans van Heeswijk's architectural bureau, while the interior design was done by the Merkx + Girod company. Within the frameworks of the Hermitage programme the Neerlandia building will become a cultural centre for children.

The surface area of the Hermitage • Amsterdam centre is approximately 9 000 square metres. The Amstelhof building is laid out as a square with a spacious inner courtyard. Enfilades with exhibition, lecture and concert halls, a restaurant and souvenir shops are situated along its perimeter.

The reconstruction of the building costs approximately €40 million. The  money was collected by the Hermitage-on-the-Amstel Foundation. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation. Funds for the reconstruction of the building have been provided through the contributions of the Government of the Netherlands, the Amsterdam municipality, TV lotteries, Philips company, Fortis Bank Nederland, Heineken brewery and the Hermitage Friends Society in the Netherlands.

The exhibition At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century (20 June 2009 - 31 January 2010) will be the first one in the Amstelhof rooms, which will present to the visitors over 1800 items from the State Hermitage's collections.

The Amstelhof, a unique 17th-century architectural complex
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The Amstelhof is enclosed on three sides by canals and the River Amstel
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The Amstelhof building is striking for the harmony of its strict
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Hermitage exhibition center in Amsterdam Hermitage Amsterdam
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