This week I'm featuring *photo essays from our day in St. Petersburg with TJ Travel.
Our first stop is the Hermitage Museum.
As a child of the Enlightenment, Catherine the Great began collecting artwork in 1764.
Her collection has grown to be one of the oldest and largest museum collections in the world.
Only a portion of the over 3 million pieces are on permanent display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The collections are housed in a series of buildings along the Palace Embankment, the most famous of them being the Winter Palace.
The Museum opens a little bit early for tour groups and because it was just the three of us, we were able to move quickly and easily through the massive tour groups that started arriving in droves. The museum interior and architecture is just as interesting as the renowned collections. It is definitely the most exquisite museum I've ever seen. We spent just a few hours exploring and taking photographs. You could return again and again and never see it all.
It's still so hard to imagine so many amazing creations in one place.
What is your favorite museum piece?
Those are amazing pictures! I like you had rather old views on Russia and am so excited to see your photo essays!
ReplyDeleteNot lazy blogging at all! I love it. We never made it to Hermitage for one reason or another while we were in Russia. It's on the list of things we must do when we go back to visit (hopefully next year, for a wedding! Whoot!) Keep these essays coming, they're great!
ReplyDeletePhoto essays are not lazy blogs at all - especially when the photos are as good as yours!
ReplyDeleteIs there a chiropractor near there? I think I'd get sever neck-ache looking up at everything! :-)
Stunning architecture! And I agree - in no way are photo essays indicative of lazy blogging...gives us a chance to take in the beauty of what you saw for ourselves :)
ReplyDeleteKam | A Married Couple & Their Travels
Wow - such a gorgeous museum.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! The Hermitage is on my bucket list- I'm a sucker for palaces and art.
ReplyDeleteWho needs words when you have such amazing photos. I was there in 2010 and vowed to go back as I just did not see enough or really have enough time. So it was nice to see your photos.
ReplyDeleteJust looking at these is incredible. I have often thought there should be a book on the ceilings of European buildings - this building and many others certainly qualify as art itself! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Catherine. Would make a lovely coffee table book. I always walk in with a sense of anticipation for that first look up. So amazing.
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