The State Hermitage Museum is located in St. Petersburg – the cultural capital of Russia. It is one of the largest museums in the world.
The museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852.
Today, the Hermitage is a complex museum. Its main exhibition is located in five buildings situated in the center of St. Petersburg along the Neva river. The main building of the complex is the Winter Palace.
The building of the present (fifth) Winter Palace was built in 1754-1762 by the architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The building is in the style of a magnificent Elizabethan Baroque with Rococo elements.
The first thing that catches one’s eye is the splendor and solemnity of the outer shape of the Winter Palace. Along the perimeter of the building above the cornice there are sculptures and vases, which give the building a gorgeous and elegant look.
The three-storey building of the Winter Palace has four wings and a courtyard.
The building’s facades face the Neva river, the Palace Square and the Admiralty. The main facade is cut with an arch of front drive.
Modern palace is made in emerald colours; columns, cornices and window frames are in white; and stucco molding and the rest decor is made in ocher.
Следующим утром я нашла коробку с подарками под ёлкой. Там действительно были игрушки и сладости. Каждый год на Новый год я достаю свой ларец и украшаю игрушками свою ёлку дома. Я вспоминаю свою сказочную страну, её героев и говорю
Once on New Year’s Eve I went to bed late. I had a nice dream at night. I was in a magic country. There was a beautiful forest. A lot of unusual animals and fairy characters were in that forest. The Mermaid was Snow Maiden, Poseidon was Father Frost. Animals didn’t look like our animals: a fox was blue; a hare had a long tail. And the Wolf has made friend with Little Red Riding Hood. I was dressed in my Sunday best and taken to the pantomime. It was New Year party. They presented me a magic box. There were toys and sweets.
Next morning I found the magic box under the New Year tree. There were toys and sweets really. Every year I get my magic box and decorate my New Year tree with toys at home. I remember my magic country, its characters and thank them.