Friends, today we continue exploring the General Staff Building located on Palace Square in St. Petersburg. While in the previous article I shared some history of this famous building, in this one, I’ll focus on the exhibition housed within its walls.
First, I should mention that this article will be brief. My goal is not to cover all the halls and collections of this museum. Instead, I hope that after reading this article, you’ll be inspired to visit this wonderful exhibition on your own.
How to Get There
The exhibition complex of the State Hermitage is located in the eastern part of the General Staff Building, also known as "Ross’s Wing." The address of the museum is Palace Square, 6/8. The nearest metro station is "Admiralteyskaya," just a ten-minute walk away.
The cost of an adult ticket for Russian citizens is 300 rubles (as of winter 2019). Since this exhibition is a branch of the State Hermitage, you can purchase a combined ticket to visit several exhibitions or even visit for free on specific days, such as the third Thursday of each month, March 8, May 18, and December 7.
A Walk Through the Museum Complex
If you’ve never been to the General Staff Building, it may seem smaller than expected, but once you reach the museum’s main staircase, you will immediately feel the grandeur of this complex. The entire interior space is divided into five large courtyards (atriums), around which the main exhibition halls are located.
I noticed that many tourists only see the Hermitage as a museum of fine art, but this is not entirely true. While the artistic value of the items on display here is immense, it’s also worth noting that the interiors of the halls housing the exhibitions are masterpieces of architecture in themselves. Museum visitors can admire the magnificent ceiling paintings in the "Art Nouveau" rooms, visit the restored office of the Minister of Finance of the Russian Empire, and marvel at the beautiful enfilade of grand rooms on the building's third floor.
As for the main exhibition of the General Staff Building, it contains truly unique pieces of fine and applied arts. The halls showcase works by numerous world-renowned artists. Notably, the fourth floor features 20th-century paintings, including works by famous Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and Abstract artists. Here, you can see paintings by Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and many others. Despite the relatively small number of visitors compared to the main Hermitage building, these rooms are always filled with tour groups from around the world.
I’ll end my story about this unique exhibition here. I also recommend that you explore other branches of the Hermitage Museum. For example, the Menchikov Palace, the Winter Palace of Peter I, and the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory are also part of the Hermitage. Unlike the main building, these exhibitions are much less crowded, even on free admission days.
In summary:
- A huge and fascinating exhibition;
- You can combine your visit with trips to other branches of the Hermitage;
- There are days when you can visit the museum for free.
- Part 1. The General Staff Building in Saint Petersburg: The History of a Famous Landmark
