It all started in 1991 when Ernst Veen, director of ‘De Nieuwe Kerk’ in Amsterdam, boldly approached the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg with the proposition for cooperation. He was invited for talks and 18 years later he realised Hermitage Amsterdam together with Michail Piotrovski ,  director of St Petersburg’s magnificent State Hermitage Museum.

Friday 20 June 2009 Hermitage Amsterdam was opened by her Royal Hines Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev, and was furthermore attended by Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Princes Máxima and the Dutch prime minster Jan Peter Balkenende.  The opening was not of a traditional nature, but an impressive concert supported by ballet dancers which took place on a large floating podium on the Amstel. Throughout the concert a choreographed ballet of boats added grace to the happening.
The Hermitage Amsterdam is a subsidiary of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and is located in the 17th century building the ‘Amstelhof’ a former home for the elderly.

The museum is open for the public on Saturday 21 June as from 10:00 and will be open for a consecutive 31 hours. The exhibition is titled ‘At the Russian Court’, a scholarly researched exploration of the opulent material culture, elaborate social hierarchy and richly layered traditions of the Tsarist court at its height in the 19th century. The exhibition will remain on show from June 20th until January 31st 2010.

Hermitage Amsterdam >>