The Hermitage Museum, one of the great art museums of the world, was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great of Russia in Leningrad, then St Petersburg. Leningrad is second only to Moscow in the Soviet Union as a cultural and educational centre. It is the traditional home of Russian ballet, has 13 theatres, one of the largest libraries in the world, a university and many academies.
The city has 48 museums of these by far the most famous is Hermitage, where the collection of art of all countries and periods, especially that of the French Impressionists and post-impressionist painters, is considered one of the finest in the world.
Over the years, acquisitions by the Tsars and the addition of a considerable volume of works gathered over the past half century have contributed to the collection, which now includes more than 2,500,000 works.
The Hermitage was a private, or court, museum for many years until it was opened to the public by Tsar Nicholas I (1825-1855). It is part of the Winter Palace.