The Hermitage of St. Petersburg: Museum of Art and Architecture

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

Completed in 1795, the Hermitage Museum complex is a marvel of Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, located next to the Neva River. From left to right, one can see the Hermitage Theatre, the Old Hermitage, the New Hermitage, the Small Hermitage, and the Winter Palace at sunset. Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock

One of the largest art museums in the world and the former residence of the Romanov czars, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, is in the historical center of the city.

Composed of five buildings, the Hermitage hosts about 3 million items dating from the Stone Age to the present, including old masters’ paintings. But it’s much more than a museum; it’s also an architectural work of art.