The Hermitage in the General Staff building is a unique combination of a modern display facility and imposing historical interiors. Here you will see one of the world’s finest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. Among the many other displays in the building are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire, works from the Art Nouveau era, the Museum of the Russian Guards, the Carl Fabergé Memorial Halls and 21st-century art.
The displays can be viewed by holders of entry tickets and also as part of a general guided tour. You have the right to make your way around the museum according to your own plans and priorities, but you can also follow the specially devised route.
That route includes the celebrated Sergei Shchukin and Morozov Brothers Memorial Gallery, presenting masterpieces painted by Matisse, Picasso, Maurice Denis and many others. It takes in the state rooms in the apartment of the Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire, where historical interiors combine with an extensive collection of furniture, bronzes, porcelain, uniforms and civilian clothing. You will see works by French and Russian craftsmen in the Empire style, diplomatic gifts received by the Russian court, as well as the largest collection of 19th-century German paintings outside of Germany itself.
The route incorporates the new display in the Church of the Pious Prince Alexander Nevsky which presents works of Russian ecclesiastical art created in the first quarter of the 19th century, during the reign of Emperor Alexander I. Some of the exhibits are directly connected with the Patriotic War that followed Napoleon’s invasion in 1812.
We recommend arriving at the museum entrance 15 minutes before the start of the time slot shown on your ticket. Visitors will be allowed to enter the display area no later than 30 minutes after the start of their time slot. After that moment, a ticket is automatically no longer valid, and the money paid for it will not be refunded.
Description of the route through the General Staff building of the State Hermitage
Metro stations: Admiralteyskaya, Nevsky Prospekt, Gostiny Dvor
Surface public transport: Gosudarstvenny Ermitazh stop
Buses: 1, 7, 10, 11
Trolleys: 7, 10, 24, 191