The Hermitage is one of the largest and most famous museums in our country. Its richest collection is located in several buildings. The main museum complex is located on the banks of the Neva. Despite the fact that they were built at different times, these structures form a single architectural ensemble.
Four of the five buildings of the complex have their facades facing the Palace Embankment. The Winter Palace makes an indelible impression. It was erected as a ceremonial royal residence in 1754-1762 by the project of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It was this structure that determined the unique architectural appearance of the ensemble on the banks of the Neva. The palace was built in the Russian Baroque style. He is very dressed up, striking in scale, richness and variety of architectural decoration. At the same time, the integrity and proportionality of the parts give Rastrelli's creation a harmonious and solemn image.
The Small Hermitage is located on the left. It stretches perpendicular to the Neva and faces the Palace Embankment with a narrow facade. It was the Small Hermitage that was created specifically to house the collection of Catherine II. Construction lasted from 1764 to 1775. The building was erected next to the Winter Palace as a "structure in a line" and therefore its architectural solution had to be coordinated with the decision of the palace. The architects Felten and Valen-Delamot created one of the earliest and most exquisite buildings of early classicism. But with its classical forms, the Small Hermitage successfully coexists with the Baroque Winter Palace, which is richly rich in decorative plastics. The Small Hermitage is commensurate with the palace: like the Winter Palace, it is divided into two tiers, the lower one serves as the basis for the lighter upper one. In the second tier, a Corinthian colonnade was built, similar to the palace one.
The construction of the Small Hermitage had not yet been completed, when a new building began to be built for the growing collection of art objects - the Large Hermitage. Since the middle of the 19th century, it has been called the Old. The years of its creation were from 1771 to 1787. The architect Felten successfully entered the new building into the front hall of the facades, deciding it laconically and strictly. This was the manifestation of the tact of the architect. He emphasized the representativeness of the Small Hermitage and the plastic expressiveness of the main building of the ensemble - the Winter Palace.
Felten boldly connected the building of the Old Hermitage with the Hermitage Theater with an arch. It is thrown over the Winter Groove. The theater was built in 1783 - 1786 by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi. This is a fine example of high or strict classicism. Quarenghi continued the clear rhythm of the buildings of the previous creators of the complex. Theatrical performances at the royal court in the 18th century became traditional, they accompanied many holidays. The facade of the theater is unusual for buildings of this type. There is no main entrance, because spectators came from the Winter Palace through a covered gallery above the arch.
In 1842, construction of another museum building began. This is the project of the builder of the Munich Pinakothek Leo von Klenze. The German architect was working on a project far from St. Petersburg. He hoped that he would be able to get permission to destroy the Old Hermitage and arrange a square between the Winter Palace and the New Hermitage. But this did not happen, and the richly decorated main facade of the New Hermitage now faces Millionnaya Street. The building, in accordance with the trends of the times, was built in the eclectic style and combines in its architecture features of different eras - antiquity, Renaissance, baroque and classicism. The New Hermitage is the first building in our country built specifically for the museum. The New Hermitage has a magnificent portico, which is adorned with ten Atlantean granite figures created by the sculptor Terebenev.
