The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, traces its origin to 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great bought a collection of 225 paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. She continued to buy works and placed them in a private gallery near the Winter Palace, in a building she called the Hermitage, as a retreat for herself and her guests. The collection grew over the following century and in 1852 it was opened to the public. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 the Winter Palace and other imperial buildings became part of the museum, and nationalized private collections were added. Today it is one of the largest and most important art museums in the world, with works by Leonardo, Rembrandt and Picasso.
Before and after
- from 1763 to 1766Pontiac's War
- from 1763 to 1864Caucasian War
- 10 February 1763Treaty of Paris (1763)
- 15 February 1763Treaty of Hubertusburg
- 1764Founding of Hermitage Museum
- 1764Founding of Gardner
- from 1765 to 1783American Revolution
- 1765Founding of Brown University
- 21 August 1765Birth of William IV
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 1863Origins of Baháʼí Faith
- 17 November 1869Construction of Suez Canal
- 31 March 1889Construction of Eiffel Tower
- 1894Radio
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 18961896 Summer Olympics
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.