The President offered his best wishes to all employees of the Moscow Kremlin museums on the occasion of this important anniversary. The Patriarch of Moscow and all-Russia Aleksei II, director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovskii, and director of the Paris Louvre Henri Loyrette also spoke at the ceremony.
The anniversary celebrations devoted to the 200 th anniversary of the Moscow Kremlin museums will continue throughout the year. They include various exhibitions, both from the collections of the Moscow Kremlin and from other museums.
In March the Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum Sanctuary is celebrating its 200 th anniversary. It dates back to 10 March 1806. On that day, Tsar Aleksandr I signed a decree that classified the Armory Museum as the first national museum with state value. Since then various examples of state regalia, as well as precious and rare objects connected with Russia's past and the dynasty of the tsars are permanently available for public viewing.