Winter Palace：The Museum for Major Art and Cult...

12.Winter Palace：The Museum for Major Art and Cultural History　冬宫——大型艺术与文化历史博物馆

Winter Palace is also called the State Hermitage Museum. It is located on the St Petersburg Palace Square, formerly the palace for Russian Czars.It is the outstanding example of Russian Baroque architectures in the middle of the 18th century, world-famous for its ancient writing research and European art painting works.

冬宫也即艾尔米塔什博物馆。坐落在圣彼得堡宫殿广场上，原为俄国沙皇的皇宫，18世纪中叶俄国巴洛克式建筑的杰出典范，以古文字学研究和欧洲绘画艺术品闻名世界。

●The Origin of the Name and the Dimensions Nowadays　名字的由来与如今的规模

The Winter Palace is now generally known as the Ermitazh National Gallery, and one of the world's five largest museums including the Imperial Palace in China, the Louvre Museum in France, the British Museum in Britain and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States. The museum was originally the private museum of Catherine II of Russia.In 1764，Catherine II bought 250 paintings of Rembrandt, Rubens and othersfrom Berlin and kept them in the Winter Palace, and the museum is named after this.

The word"Ermitazh"derives from"the palace of solitude"in French. The museum has 5 buildings：the Winter Palace（1754～1762），the little Ermitazh（1764～1767），the old Eyre Ermitazh（1771～1787），the Ermitazh Theatre（1783～1787；now the lecture hall, it can accommodate 500 spectators），the new Ermitazh（1839～1852）.They are forming the layout of harmonious and magnificent group of buildings, and one of the important sights of Leningrad.

The museum includes 8 divisions：the Primitive Culture, the Ancient Greece, the Rome World, the Eastern National Culture, the Russian Cultural History, the Coins, the Western European Art, the Scientific Education, and the Restoration and Custody.

There are 2700000 collections in total, mainly paintings, sculptures, printmakings, drawings, unearthed cultural relics, works of applied art, coins and medals. Among them, the paintings are world-famous, from the oldest religious paintings to the modern paintings, with a total of more than 15800 pieces.The Madonna of Leonardo Da Vinci, the Holy Family of Raphael and other famous paintings are very precious.

There are 353 exhibition halls in total, with a special display of gold and silver utensils, clothing, gifts, paintings, crafts and an undisturbed display of bedrooms, restaurants, lounges, meeting rooms of tsarist-era. The most attractive one is Peter the Great Showroom, thetourist sanctuary.

现在的冬宫一般被称为艾尔米塔什国立美术馆，它和中国的故宫、法国的卢浮宫、英国的大英博物馆、美国的大都会博物馆并称为世界五大博物馆。该馆最早是叶卡捷琳娜二世女皇的私人博物馆。1764年，叶卡捷琳娜二世从柏林购进伦勃朗、鲁本斯等人的250幅绘画存放在冬宫，该馆由此而得名。

“艾尔米塔什”源于法语“幽居之宫”之意。该馆有5座建筑物：冬宫（1754～1762）、小艾尔米塔什（1764～1767）、旧艾尔米塔什（1771～1787）、艾尔米塔什剧院（1783～1787；现作演讲厅，可容500名观众）、新艾尔米塔什（1839～1852）。它们是布局协调、气势雄伟的建筑群，是圣彼得堡的重要名胜之一。

该馆设8个部：原始文化部，古希腊、罗马世界部，东方民族文化部，俄罗斯文化史部，钱币部，西欧艺术部，科学教育部和修复保管部。

藏品共有270万件，主要是绘画、雕塑、版画、素描、出土文物、实用艺术品、钱币和奖牌。其中绘画闻名于世，从拜占庭最古老的宗教画，直到现代的绘画作品，应有尽有，共收藏15800余幅。其中达·芬奇的两幅《圣母像》、拉斐尔的《圣家族》等名画均极珍贵。

展厅共353个，有金银器皿、服装、礼品、绘画、工艺品等专题陈列和沙皇时代的卧室、餐厅、休息室、会客室的原状陈列。其中彼得大帝陈列室最引人注目，是旅游参观圣地。

●The Attractions under the Label of Historical Figures　历史人物标签下的特色景点

The State Hermitage Museum is world-renown with its rich gorgeous collections. It is a comprehensive large-scale museum of art, history and culture combined, and an appealing tourist resort.

艾尔米塔什博物馆以其丰富华丽的收藏闻名于世，是美术、历史、文化相结合的综合性大型博物馆，以及国内外游客流连忘返的地方。

The Winter Palace Square and the Alexander Column　冬宫广场与亚历山大纪念柱

The Winter Palace Square is surprising in the style and the scale, with all harmonious constructions. All of the buildings are made of different styles by different architects in different times.To commemorate the victory of Alexander I of Russian over Napoleon army in 1812，a Alexander Column was built up in the central square from 1830 to 1839.The column is 47.5 meters high，4 meters in diameter, weighing 600 tons, with a whole piece of granite.Without any support, it stand on the cornerstone only by its own weight, with an angel carrying a cross in the hand on its top.The angel is standing on a snake, which is the symbol of the victory over the enemy.

冬宫广场的气魄和规模令人吃惊，它的全部建筑非常和谐。所有建筑物都是在不同时代、不同建筑师用不同风格建造的。为纪念1812年亚历山大一世率俄军战胜拿破仑军队这一伟绩，于1830年至1839年，在广场中央树立了一根亚历山大纪念柱。纪念柱高47.5米，直径4米，重600吨，用整块花岗石制成，不用任何支撑，只靠自身重量屹立在基石上。它的顶尖上是手持十字架的天使，天使双脚踩着一条蛇，象征着战胜敌人的雄姿。

Peter the Great Showroom彼得大帝陈列室

Peter the Great Showroom is the most remarkable hall, displaying Peter's clothes, medals, weapons, portraits and so on during his lifetime. Among them, some machines and navigation equipments were produced by Peter the Great personally.The phantom statue of Peter the Great is made of beeswax.It is 2 meters in height, with real hairof Peter the Great, reproducing the enlightened emperor of mighty and majestic image.

彼得大帝陈列室是最受人关注的展厅，展厅内陈列着彼得大帝生前穿过的服装、佩戴过的勋章、使用过的武器以及他的画像等藏品。其中，一些机器和航海用具都为彼得大帝亲手制作。彼得大帝的仿真人坐像，身高2米，用蜜蜡制成，所用的头发为彼得大帝的真发，重现威武雄壮的明君模样。

The harems of the beautiful queens　绝色女皇们的闺房

In addition to Peter the Great Showroom, the harems of the queens such as Catherine I, Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine II, are also worth a look. The luxurious layout is more astonishing.They are made of Rococo style, with detailed outlines and delicate furnitures.All the decorations give expression to the luxury and pleasure.

除了彼得大帝陈列室，叶卡捷琳娜一世、伊丽莎白·彼得罗夫娜、叶卡捷琳娜二世等女皇的闺房也值得一看，豪华布置更是让人诧异。洛可可风格的装饰、曲线勾勒细致，家具华丽精巧，所有的装饰都体现出皇室的奢华与享乐。