Hermitage, the Glitter of the Russian Court

The Hermitage, located on Amstel 51, on the banks of the Amstel River, is a branch museum of the Hermitage Museum of Saint Peters­burg, Russia. The building itself is the former Amstel­hof, a classical style building from 1682 with a large internal court­yard, used as a retirement home for elderly women until 2007. After extensive renovations, the main museum opened in June 2009 as an exhibition space with a focus on Russian history and culture.

I visited the Hermitage for the exhibition “Jewels, the Glitter of the Russian Court” in May 2020 (exhibition until 16 October 2020). The Hermitage has a fabulous jewellery collection and richly decorated gowns from the Russian court in St. Peters­burg. Jewels from leading houses like Cartier, Tiffany and Fabergé are on display in a fabulous setting.

Tsar Peter the Great (1672–1725) had a special relation­ship with Amsterdam, having lived in the city for several years. He founded the very first public museum in Russia — some of the exhibits at the original Hermitage were items he acquired in the Netherlands.

Website Hermitage: https://hermitage.nl/en/