Description of the attraction
The Hermitage on the Amstel is a very unusual and original museum. Firstly, it is a branch of the famous Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Secondly, all expositions in it are interchangeable, and there is no permanent one. Thirdly, it does not and cannot have its own collection, because the exhibitions feature exhibits from the storerooms of the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Similar branches existed in London and Las Vegas, but they are now closed.
Since 2009, the museum has been located in the Amstelhof building on the banks of the Amstel river. Since 1682, this old building in classical style with a large square courtyard has housed a nursing home. At first, only women lived here, since 1817 - both women and men. The last residents of the nursing home only moved out in 2007, and the building was renovated. The opening ceremony in 2009 was attended by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
The branch of the Hermitage in Amsterdam has been holding exhibitions since February 2004. At first, these exhibitions were held in a neighboring building, in a small annex to the Amstelhof. Now the Children's Hermitage has been opened in this building.
Exhibitions at the new Hermitage on the Amstel change in March and September. All exhibits are provided by the State Hermitage, and one euro of the cost of the admission ticket goes to the Hermitage fund in St. Petersburg. In addition to exhibition halls, the museum has a training center, lecture halls, and a restaurant. Much attention is paid to working with children and their education.
The museum receives up to 300 thousand visitors a year.
