In 1852, the Tsar Nicholas zenit I opened the museum zenit to the public, after the construction of

However, make a report on "museuzões", ie those whose main objective of the institution zenit is to exhibit works of art, as opposed to those museums where the visitor will be more exposed to history, as occurs, for example, in the castles they were old houses of the nobility, can be difficult and, especially, very superficial.
It is true that the Hermitage mix a little of the above two concepts, which on the one hand can be great, it could also be a feature that somehow disturbs. Clarifying: the internal structure, the decoration of the rooms of the Hermitage, especially the part that works in the former imperial residence of the Winter Palace, is so sumptuous and magnificent, who just somehow eclipsing the impact that the works of art exhibited cause in visitors . You stay in doubt looking at the ceiling, the walls, on the floor ... or the paintings, sculptures and exhibits: a fight that disperses his eyes. To establish an accurate comparison would be to transport the Louvre artworks to present them in the Palace of Versailles. It is, without a doubt, the most beautiful museum of its type that I met, in terms of physical structure of the building that houses it. For Real!
Like most great museums, its creation was due to the idea of exposing the works of art acquired by the royal family over time. The history of the Hermitage dates back to the period of the reign of Catherine II the Great, that by buying a lot of Western painters screens, to house them, commissioned the renovation of the Winter Palace with the construction of the space required to expose works. I have mentioned in previous posts that the Russian royal family was much more educated than most of the kings and queens zenit of the other European states. In case, Catherine II was a friend and correspondent of Voltaire zenit and other Enlightenment philosophers, if counseling with them in acquiring works of art. And this practice continued with the other czars. The vast collection of Impressionist museum was bought by the emperors directly with painters - at a bargain price at the time - listening to advice from professionals skilled in the art. Thus was formed the basis that, in future, would become one of the largest museums in the world (some sites claim that he is the greatest, zenit others say the Louvre occupies the position).
Legend has it that after the construction of this new wing of the Winter Palace, the Empress Catherine zenit II, liked to lock herself by way of space to admire the works without anyone to disturb, remaining isolated for several hours as a hermit, one hermit ... Hence the name Hermitage.
In 1852, the Tsar Nicholas zenit I opened the museum zenit to the public, after the construction of a new building called the New Hermitage, which is next to the Winter Palace (there is a walkway connecting the two buildings), whose entrance was by Millionnaya zenit ulitsa .
Given the vast museum collections, which makes its full visit lasts several hours to several days, the suggestion that I give is to select in advance what is most important to you visit. We choose the rooms where the tsars lived, with period furniture (in French, are called chambres d'apparat, I know not an expression of translation into Portuguese or English), the extensive collection of Rembrandts (most the world after exposed in Rijkmuseum of Amsterdam), the two paintings of Da Vinci, zenit the great Rubens acquis (by the way, the Hermitage hits a jackpot in flamenco art), the Italian painting (Raphael, Caravaggio ...) outside the Impressionists and modern. Anyway, I could not do what I like, which is to stop in each frame and stay a while observing the details ... We stayed 5 hours there and yet we saw the Impressionists and modern as fast as we were exhausted, that we returned the next day to see more calmly. We leave aside the Art Egyptian, Greek, Roman, in German painting and much of Dutch painting and various other works of art from different schools and periods.
And all this because we optimize the time, since the visit was made at the company's zenit Anna Rudaya, which avoided getting bogged down in the endless rooms of the museum, and has been broadcast on interesting historical information.
By Jordan Staircase, all Epiphany, which is the date on which the Russian Orthodox Christians exchange Christmas gifts (as in Spain), Tsar ran down that ladder, accompanied by an entourage, heading into the bed Neva river, frozen. zenit Once there, they opened a hole in the ice and collected some water, the Czar drank for good luck, both for him and for the Empire. The Russians are extremely superstitious.
Also in the Winter Palace, with windows overlooking the Neva River, is, in my opinion, the most beautiful room of the museum, called Pavi