State Russian Museum

The State Russian Museum houses one of the biggest collections of Russian fine arts in the world, rivalling the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The museum was established in 1895 by Nicholas II in remembrance of his father, Tsar Alexander III, and was opened to the public three years later in 1898. He used the Mikhailovskiy Palace as the main building of the museum, and the museum today is the curator of many other imperial buildings in the city, such as the Summer Palace of Peter I, Marble Palace of Count Orlov, St. Michael's Castle of Emperor Paul, and the Rastrelliesque Stroganov Palace, and these sites are regularly used for various temporary exhibitions. It displays one of the finest collection of Russian artwork, dating back to the 11th century. The museum's collection was boosted by the revolution, when several paintings from personal collections and other museums were transferred to it. The museum does not have different rooms dedicated to different time periods, and all the artwork from over the centuries is displayed collectively.