Hermitage MuseumRussian former capital – the city of Saint Petersburg, today one of the Europe’s largest cities, was built by the tsar Peter the Great starting from 1703, after the tsar’s stay in Zaandam and Amsterdam during his grand trip to Western Europe (so called Great Embassy: 1697 – 1698). The city original name had been Sankt Petersburg. Known also as Petrograd and later for years as Leningrad, the city bears today its original Dutch name. But the Dutch element is not only in the city’s name: Saint Petersburg was built with the help of the Dutch, since the area chosen by tsar Peter for its foundation, was muddy and full of swamps.
The contacts between Amsterdam and Saint Petersburg continue up to these days, and since February 2004 the famous Saint Petersburg state museum – the Hermitage, has one of its dependences in Amsterdam (the other are in London and Las Vegas).Hermitage Amsterdam organizes exhibitions on one selected theme, giving usually two showings each year.
