Major European museum announces complete restoration (VIDEOS)
The large-scale effort is expected to span several years and will involve detailed scientific and architectural planning, he said at a press conference on Thursday.
'We are embarking on another major task. We need to restore the entire complex of Hermitage buildings again. A long time has passed since all this was done last,' Piotrovsky said.
10 facts about Russias astounding Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg The word 'Hermitage' is translated from French as 'place of solitude.'The Hermitage is among the top five most visited museums in our country and the top twenty most popular museums in the world.In Russia,… pic.twitter.com/hDgjgXGsnF
The head of construction and restoration, Sergey Makarov, said the work will start with the Winter Palace, which has served as the museum's main building since 1917, and the Hermitage Theater.
'We are currently preparing plans for a major restoration of the main museum building. We need to restore the facades, several halls, parquet floors, which are very worn out,' he said, citing high visitor traffic, especially during peak tourist seasons. Makarov added that the theater's renovation will be completed as quickly as possible to minimize disruption.
State Hermitage Museum 🇷🇺متحف هيرميتاج في سان بطرسبرغ pic.twitter.com/8hIhKFnft7Catherine the Great began assembling the Hermitage's art collection in 1764, initially for private royal use.
In 1852, Tsar Nicholas I opened part of the collection to the public with the inauguration of the New Hermitage building, which became Russia's first museum purpose-built to display art. Today, the Hermitage ranks among the world's most visited museums.
Major restorations last took place in the late 20th century and continued into the early 2000s, including upgrades to the General Staff Building and the Small Hermitage. The museum recently completed the restoration of the facades of the Menshikov Palace, a historic building dating to the era of Peter the Great.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Russia Today
Luxury brands suffer as tourism slumps in Europe and Japan
Luxury brands have reported declining sales in Europe and Japan as American and Chinese tourists, once major drivers of growth, have cut back on overseas spending, according to the Financial Times. Last year saw a surge in luxury sales fueled by tourist activity, as Chinese shoppers flocked to Japan when the yen was at a 30‑year low, the paper wrote on Monday. Meanwhile, American consumers benefited from a strong dollar and increased their luxury spending in Europe. Those trends have reversed in 2025, as the yen has strengthened and the US dollar weakened amid tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the FT noted. Speaking to the paper, Cécile Cabanis, chief financial officer at LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, attributed a 9% organic decline in Q2 sales for its fashion and leather goods division to changing tourist patterns. 'Spending by American tourists slowed down very strongly,' she said, adding that declining tourist sales in Japan could not be offset by local demand. The FT noted that US demand could weaken further amid expectations that imported goods will become more expensive due to Trump's tariffs. Investment firm Bernstein revised its 2025 luxury revenue forecast from 5% growth to a 2% decline to reflect this outlook. Bernstein analyst Luca Solca said the downturn in tourist shopping points to broader problems in the industry, which raised prices beyond inflation during years of strong demand. 'Luxury consumers are still looking for value – Chinese tourists are not in Japan because they want to go see Mount Fuji,' he is quoted as saying. 'Too many luxury brands pushed too many price increases.' Despite market pressure, brands like LVMH have been hesitant to adopt discounting strategies, maintaining their focus on exclusivity and high margins through premium pricing. According to a Bain & Company report from last year, the global luxury customer base contracted by roughly 50 million consumers between 2022 and 2024, declining from approximately 400 million to 350 million. It attributed the decrease to economic uncertainty and rising prices.
Russia Today
05-08-2025
- Russia Today
Luxury brands suffer slump as tourist spending falls in Europe and Japan
Luxury brands have reported declining sales in Europe and Japan as American and Chinese tourists, once major drivers of growth, have cut back on overseas spending, according to the Financial Times. Last year saw a surge in luxury sales fueled by tourist activity, as Chinese shoppers flocked to Japan when the yen was at a 30‑year low, the paper wrote on Monday. Meanwhile, American consumers benefited from a strong dollar and increased their luxury spending in Europe. Those trends have reversed in 2025, as the yen has strengthened and the US dollar weakened amid tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, the FT noted. Speaking to the paper, Cécile Cabanis, chief financial officer at LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton and Dior, attributed a 9% organic decline in Q2 sales for its fashion and leather goods division to changing tourist patterns. 'Spending by American tourists slowed down very strongly,' she said, adding that declining tourist sales in Japan could not be offset by local demand. The FT noted that US demand could weaken further amid expectations that imported goods will become more expensive due to Trump's tariffs. Investment firm Bernstein revised its 2025 luxury revenue forecast from 5% growth to a 2% decline to reflect this outlook. Bernstein analyst Luca Solca said the downturn in tourist shopping points to broader problems in the industry, which raised prices beyond inflation during years of strong demand. 'Luxury consumers are still looking for value – Chinese tourists are not in Japan because they want to go see Mount Fuji,' he is quoted as saying. 'Too many luxury brands pushed too many price increases.' Despite market pressure, brands like LVMH have been hesitant to adopt discounting strategies, maintaining their focus on exclusivity and high margins through premium pricing. According to a Bain & Company report from last year, the global luxury customer base contracted by roughly 50 million consumers between 2022 and 2024, declining from approximately 400 million to 350 million. It attributed the decrease to economic uncertainty and rising prices.
Russia Today
04-08-2025
- Russia Today
Major Russian volcano erupts for first time in centuries (VIDEOS)
The Krasheninnikov volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has erupted for the first time in modern history, after a massive offshore earthquake triggered renewed volcanic activity in the Russian Far East, local authorities have said. The eruption occurred at 4:50am local time on Sunday, sending a 6,000-meter ash column into the air from the 1,856-meter-high peak, according to the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT). 'This is the first historic eruption of Krasheninnikov in 600 years,' Olga Girina, head of KVERT, told RIA Novosti. She said a lava dome was forming on the slope, with strong steam-gas emissions and a steady ash plume rising from the northern crater. Named after explorer Stepan Krasheninnikov, the volcano comprises two overlapping stratovolcanoes within a large caldera in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, about 50 kilometers from the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The last lava effusion at Krasheninnikov occurred around the year 1463, give or take 40 years. Fumarolic activity was recorded in 1963, but no eruption had been documented until now. KVERT raised the aviation color code from green to orange and reported that ash had drifted 75 kilometers east. Deposits were observed inside the nature reserve, but none reached nearby towns. The latest eruption followed an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on July 30, prompting tsunami alerts and evacuations across the Pacific. In the immediate aftermath, Klyuchevskaya Sopka – one of Eurasia's tallest volcanoes – also erupted in what officials called its strongest event in 70 years. Other volcanoes, including Shiveluch, Karymsky, Bezymianny, and Kambalny, have shown increased activity, with the possibility of ash clouds reaching up to 10,000 meters. Authorities have advised nearby residents and visitors to stay at least 10 kilometers away from active sites.
