Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Our tour of Russia concluded with a visit to the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg on the morning of 18.09.2025 (Day 7). The Hermitage Museum stands as one of the most magnificent cultural landmarks in the world. Originally conceived as the Winter Palace, it was built between 1754 and 1762 under the reign of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. Designed as the official royal residence of the Russian tsars, the Winter Palace epitomized the power, wealth, and grandeur of the Russian Empire.

The palace was constructed in the Russian Baroque style, characterized by elaborate ornamentation, gilded stucco decorations, and a striking façade of green and white accented with gold. Its design embodied opulence, featuring immense halls, grand staircases, and richly adorned chambers suitable for imperial ceremonies. Over time, as the art collection of the Russian court expanded - particularly under Catherine the Great - additional buildings were added to form what is now the State Hermitage Museum. These included the Small Hermitage (1764–1775), Old Hermitage (1770–1787), Hermitage Theatre (1783–1787), and the New Hermitage (1842–1851). Later structures incorporated elements of Neoclassicism alongside the earlier Baroque grandeur.

Today, the Hermitage complex consists of five interconnected buildings, together forming one of the world’s largest and oldest museums. The Winter Palace alone contains approximately 1,500 rooms, 117 staircases, and covers over 46,000 square meters. Its vast galleries house masterpieces by artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, reflecting Catherine the Great’s ambition to make Russia a center of European art and culture.

Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Winter Palace ceased to serve as a royal residence and was transformed into a public museum, preserving centuries of Russian imperial history. The Hermitage’s architectural harmony, combining Baroque splendor with Classical refinement, continues to embody both the artistic vision of its creators and the enduring spirit of Russian culture.

The Small Throne Room, also known as the Peter the Great Throne Room, was designed during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I to honor Peter the Great, the founder of St. Petersburg and the Russian Empire’s new capital. Lavishly adorned in red velvet, gilded ornaments, and white marble columns, the room exudes imperial grandeur. Its domed ceiling features exquisite stucco reliefs and gold motifs, while the intricately patterned parquet floor, crafted from rare woods, enhances the hall’s majestic atmosphere.

At the center stands a magnificent gilded throne, upholstered in red velvet and embroidered with the imperial double-headed eagle, symbolizing the authority of the Romanov dynasty. Above it hangs a portrait of Peter the Great, highlighting the room’s commemorative purpose. Historically, this hall hosted ceremonial audiences, receptions, and state functions honoring Russia’s first emperor. It remains a powerful testament to the Romanovs’ reverence for Peter the Great and to the artistic splendor of the imperial era.

The vast collection of marble sculptures in the State Hermitage Museum immediately reminded me of the grand displays I had seen at the Louvre Museum in Paris during my visit in 2014. Walking through the Hermitage’s sculpture galleries, surrounded by graceful figures carved from luminous white marble, I was struck by the same timeless beauty and serene dignity that define classical art.

Like the Louvre, the Hermitage presents an extraordinary journey through the evolution of European sculpture - from the mythological ideals of ancient Greece and Rome to the refined artistry of the Renaissance and Neoclassical periods. Each piece seems to breathe life into stone, capturing movement, emotion, and human perfection (Read here).

One of the most striking exhibits in the State Hermitage Museum is the monumental Kolyvan Vase, often called the “Queen of Vases.” Crafted from a single massive block of jasper quarried in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, this masterpiece was completed in 1843 at the renowned Kolyvan Stone-Cutting Factory. Measuring over 2.5 m high, 5 m in diameter, and weighing around 19 tons, it is one of the largest stone vases in the world.

Designed in the classical Greco-Roman style, the vase resembles an enormous chalice, yet its smooth contours and perfect symmetry reveal extraordinary craftsmanship. The swirling green and gray patterns of the polished jasper give it a natural elegance that enhances its grandeur. Commissioned during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, the vase was presented to the Hermitage as a symbol of Russia’s artistic skill, natural wealth, and imperial pride. Today, it remains a breathtaking testament to the artistry and ambition of 19th-century Russian craftsmanship.

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I was pleasantly surprised to find two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci on display at the State Hermitage Museum - The Benois Madonna and The Madonna Litta. Painted around 1478-1480, The Benois Madonna depicts the Virgin Mary tenderly playing with the Christ Child, who reaches for a delicate flower symbolizing purity and sacrifice. About a decade later, Leonardo created The Madonna Litta, portraying the Virgin nursing the infant Jesus in a serene and intimate moment of maternal devotion.

Both paintings entered the Hermitage not through conquest or royal commission, but through legitimate acquisition from distinguished private collections. Their arrival reflected the Romanov dynasty’s passion for Renaissance art and the Hermitage’s role as one of Europe’s great cultural repositories. Today, these two paintings remain among the most treasured works in the museum, representing the enduring link between Italian genius and Russian patronage.

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With the conclusion of the tour of Russia, I can confidently say that the experience was a profound real-life lesson in geography, history, engineering and architecture of the nation. The journey primarily focused on the grandeur and legacy of the Tsarist era, offering vivid insights into the two centuries under the Romanov dynasty. In contrast, there was little emphasis on the 100 years that followed the 1917 Revolution under Soviet rule. Throughout the tour, I sensed a quiet pride among Russians for their imperial heritage - a reverence for the artistry, culture, and achievements that defined the age of the Tsars.