Hermitage Amsterdam is now the third largest museum in Amsterdam after the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. There have been 9 exhibitions in the display rooms of the Hermitage exhibition centre since it opened on February 24, 2004. There will now be more than 1,800 unique items on display in this branch of the museum: portraits of Russian tsars and emperors, old costumes, military uniforms and other items representing 18th- and 19th-century life in the Russian imperial court.
Hermitage Amsterdam on the Amstel river plans to exhibit only works of art from Russian museums.
The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg is one of the largest art and historical museums in the world. The Hermitage collections, comprising more than 3,000,000 works of art, represent the development of world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.
The protocol of intent On Opening a Branch of the State Hermitage in Amsterdam was signed in 2000. The Dutch authorities helped with finding a location for the museum and arranging its legal registration. The Foundation Hermitage Friends in the Netherlands has dealt with the organisational issues concerning the development of the branch concept and the search for sponsors.
The building chosen, Amstelhof, was erected in 1683 and is one of Amsterdam's historical architectural monuments. Financial support for the opening of the branch was provided by the Government of the Netherlands, the authorities of the province of Noord-Holland and the municipality of Amsterdam. The construction project was developed by the architect Hubert-Jan Henket and work on the interior design was led by Wim Krouvel.
Svetlana and Dmitry Medvedev, Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his spouse Princess Maxima visited the museum and attended its official opening.