The debut issue of the magazine came out in December 2003, opening with an article by Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage, entitled 300 Years in One, in which the Hermitage Director tells about the presents the Hermitage gave St. Petersburg for its 300th anniversary.

The central feature of the issue is the opening of a museum at the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, this time as an affiliate of the State Hermitage Museum. The collection, featuring upwards of 30,000 exhibits, passed into the custody of the Hermitage in 2001 in what was the biggest enlargement for the museum since 1917. Several articles covering the history of Lomonosov Porcelain and its museum are followed by an interview with Galina Tsvetkova, an avid porcelain collector and new owner of Lomonosov Porcelain Factory.

The topic of architecture is brought up solely as a reflection of the tremendous effort that went into restoring St. Petersburg's landmarks for its tercentenary. The Hermitage invested in restoring the Grand Courtyard of the Winter Palace, renovation of the galleries and reconstruction of a church inside the General Staff building. The museum also contributed to the revival of the splendid Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna. For its part, the State Russian Museum restored the Mikhailovsky Castle, the former residence of Emperor Paul I. For the first time in Russia since 1931, the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theater, which has in recent years partnered with the Hermitage in a number of new fields, held a tender for the best design project for a new Mariinsky building. All these new developments indicate that St. Petersburg is open and ready for all sorts of new architectural ideas and projects.

The premiere Hermitage issue follows the pilot issue, featuring the same sections: Hermitage News, Main Features, Hermitage Archeology, Friends of the Hermitage, Current Events and, finally, My Hermitage, the concluding section devoted to personal impressions of the Hermitage, this time by celebrated Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. Two of the sections are new. Hermitage Biographies will introduce prominent Hermitage employees, both former and contemporary. The first issue tells the story of Baron A. von Velkersame, the legendary senior custodian of the Jewelry Gallery.

The Hermitage Photographs section is intended for the photographs of various Hermitage exhibits.

News source: www.hermitage.ru
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