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 multi-time construction, these structures form a single architectural ensemble.
Four of the five buildings of the complex overlook the Palace Embankment with their facades. The Winter Palace makes a lasting impression. It was built as a ceremonial royal residence in 1754 - 1762 according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It was this building that determined the unique architectural appearance of the ensemble on the banks of the Neva. The palace was built in the style of Russian Baroque. It is very elegant, striking in the scale, richness and variety of architectural decor. At the same time, the integrity and proportionality of the parts give the creation of Rastrelli a harmonious and solemn image.
On the left is the Small Hermitage. It is stretched perpendicular to the Neva and overlooks the Palace Embankment with a narrow facade. It was the Small Hermitage that was created specifically to host the collection of Catherine II. Construction continued from 1764 to 1775. The building was erected next to the Winter Palace as a "building in a line" and therefore its architectural decision had to be coordinated with the decision of the palace. Architects Felten and Valen-Delamot created one of the very first and most refined buildings of early classicism. But with its classical forms, the Small Hermitage successfully adjoins the baroque Winter Palace generously saturated with decorative plastic. The Small Hermitage is commensurate with the palace: like the Winter Palace, it is divided into two tiers, the lower serves as the basis for a lighter upper. In the second tier, a colonnade of the Corinthian order, similar to the palace, was built.
The construction of the Small Hermitage has not yet been completed, when for a growing collection of art objects they began to build a new building - the Great Hermitage. Since the mid-19th century, it has been called the Old. The years of its creation from 1771 to 1787. The architect Felten successfully entered the new building into the front stand of the facades, deciding it concisely and strictly. This showed 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 arch. She is thrown over the Winter Canal. The theater was built in 1783 - 1786 according to the project of architect Giacomo Quarenghi. This is an excellent 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 front door, because viewers came from the Winter Palace through a covered gallery above the arch.
In 1842, the construction of another museum building was started. This is a project of the builder of the Munich Pinakothek Leo von Klenze. The German architect was engaged in a project away from St. Petersburg. He hoped that he would be able to obtain 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 ornate main facade of the New Hermitage now faces Millionnaya Street. The building, in accordance with the trends of the time, was built in the eclectic style and combines in its architecture the 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 decorated with ten granite figures of the Atlanteans created by the sculptor Terebenev.
