The Hermitage Theatre

The Hermitage Theatre is the furthest wing of the museum complex on Palace Embankment and one of the oldest theatre halls in Saint Petersburg. It is a former court theatre, built under Catherine the Great; today it hosts concerts, performances, lectures and museum events.

Architecture

The theatre was raised by the architect Giacomo Quarenghi in 1783–1787. The hall is conceived in a severe classical spirit, after the model of ancient theatres and the ideas of Palladio: a semicircular amphitheatre of benches rising in half-rings, with columns and niches holding statues. There are no usual tiers of boxes — instead a single, almost democratic space, designed for a narrow court circle.

The theatre and the Winter Palace of Peter the Great

The theatre was built on the site of Peter the Great’s first Winter Palace. During restoration, fragments of that Petrine residence were found and preserved beneath the building — and there is now a separate museum, the Winter Palace of Peter the Great, which can be visited. So two eras meet in one wing: the Petrine beginnings of the city and the Catherinian flowering.

From court stage to concerts

Under Catherine the Great the theatre was an intimate court stage: plays (including the empress’s own works), operas and ballets were given here for a small circle. The semicircular amphitheatre deliberately recalled antiquity — not a “theatre of tiers” but a noble, almost museum-like hall. That tradition lives on: the Hermitage Theatre hosts concerts, performances, ballet and music evenings, lectures and ceremonies. To come here is to see a working 18th-century stage, not just a historic interior behind glass.

Is it worth seeing

The Hermitage Theatre is a “bonus” for those who have already seen the main halls and want to know the museum more deeply. The hall itself is small, but combined with the Winter Palace of Peter the Great beneath it, it gives a rare sense of layers of history: Petrine walls in the basement and a Catherinian stage above them. If you can get to a concert or performance, that is the best way to see the theatre alive rather than empty. Plan the rest of your visit with the floor plan and the one-day itinerary.

How to visit

• Address: Palace Embankment 34 (part of the Main Museum Complex).
• The theatre works above all as a venue for concerts and events, rather than an ordinary exhibition hall, so you can get in through the events programme or on certain guided tours.
• The schedule and visiting arrangements are published by the museum — confirm them on the official website.

For the neighbouring wings, see the Small and New Hermitage; for the museum’s story, the history of the Hermitage.

FAQ

Where is the Hermitage Theatre? Palace Embankment 34 — the furthest wing of the museum complex.

Who built the theatre? The architect Giacomo Quarenghi, in 1783–1787, in the classical style.

What is beneath the theatre? Preserved fragments of Peter the Great’s Winter Palace, now a separate museum.

How do I get in? Most often for a concert, an event or a special tour; check the schedule on the official website.

This is an unofficial, informational website. The programme and visiting arrangements change — confirm them on the official museum website.