The Union of Science and Art: On the 261st Anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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On December 7, the State Hermitage Museum celebrated its 261st anniversary. It's no coincidence that the birthdate of the country's premier museum coincides with the feast day of its patron saint, Saint Catherine. Russia's first art museum owes its founding to Empress Catherine the Great. It was she who, in 1764, purchased the painting collection from the German merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, which marked the beginning of the Hermitage's history and glory.

Today, the Hermitage is among the greatest artistic treasures on the planet. Its complex comprises 12 buildings, and its collections contain approximately three million works of art and world cultural monuments. Hermitage centers operate in several Russian cities: "Hermitage-Siberia" in Omsk, "Hermitage-Ural" in Yekaterinburg, "Hermitage-Eurasia" in Orenburg, "Hermitage-Kazan," and "Hermitage-Vyborg."

For many, visiting the Hermitage is a cherished dream. Travelers from around the world come to St. Petersburg to stroll the museum's historic halls, amazed at how much beauty human hands can create when guided by inspiration born of love and light.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University is fortunate to have such a friend and partner as the State Hermitage Museum. Collaboration with this legendary museum enriches our spirituality, brings us closer to the treasures of world culture, and lends special significance to our work.

Cooperation started in 2016 and received at the end of 2023 a new impetus for developmentFor almost ten years, the university and the museum The Hermitage's engineering and security systems are being modernized, conduct scientific research, exchange expertise, implement public and youth initiatives and programs advanced training, vocational guidance and employment.

The Hermitage Theatre hosted the premiere of Alexey Oliferuk's historical documentary film "The Unfinished Game of Sergei Witte" on November 17, 2025. The film is dedicated to the founder of the St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute, Russian statesman and politician, Minister of Finance, and Prime Minister of the Russian Empire, Sergei Yulyevich Witte.

The relationship between science and art is clear: the work of scientists helps preserve cultural heritage, while works of art stimulate new discoveries. What also brings these fields together is that both scientific breakthroughs and the birth of masterpieces are preceded by inspiration and research.

It was at the junction of these worlds that a joint project of the Hermitage and the Polytechnic University "Formula of Art"This is a series. video films, whose goal is to demonstrate the connection between the achievements of past eras and the present. The project's creators draw unexpected parallels between museum exhibits and the developments of Polytechnic researchers. Viewers have the opportunity to see how museum science systematizes the experience of the past, and how Polytechnic researchers shape the technologies of the future.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University congratulates the State Hermitage Museum on its birthday and wishes it to continue to amaze, delight, and enlighten people around the world, to discover unrivaled examples of human genius, to remain a source of inspiration for people of all generations, and to continue to give them the joy of seeing the great and immortal masterpieces created by man.

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