THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM FOUNDATION (USA) cordially invites you on an exclusive tour to St. Petersburg White Nights 2013 June 23rd to 29th The City of St. Petersburg, home of the State Hermitage Museum, is at its most beautiful and poetic during the “White Nights” that follow the summer solstice. Join us for an exclusive aesthetic experience as we guide you to the city’s famous sites and hidden gems. Our White Nights 2013 tour is your chance to discover Russia’s Imperial capital — with its rich heritage of palaces, museums, theaters, and other cultural landmarks. Included in this seven day/six night tour are your stay at a first class hotel, exclusive museum access and experiences, including the Hermitage Gala, curator-led tours, private excursions by boat and horse-drawn carriage, behindthe-scenes visits, great restaurants and more. The highlight of your visit will be the Hermitage Gala Banquet, a unique and luxurious evening of dinner and entertainment in the magnificent halls of the Winter Palace on Friday, June 28. You will see the Museum no longer as a museum but as the Winter Palace, the center of the Russian Empire. Making this occasion all the more memorable is that this year marks the 400 th anniversary of the Romanoff dynasty’s accession to the Russian throne. Additional available options that can be purchased include an evening at the world-famous Mariinsky Theater for a night of ballet or opera. Optional options include visits to Novgorod and Moscow as well as an extra day in St. Petersburg are also available upon request. Please note that this schedule may be adjusted or modified depending on circumstances on the ground. 1 Sunday, June 23, 2012 Throughout the day, guests arrive in St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport. We provide Fast Track service at the airport with transfer to our hotel by private car. 1730 - Assembly in the lobby of the hotel for departure to Turgenev House. 1800 - Welcome cocktail party hosted by Paul & Chauncie Rodzianko. Turgenev House was built as an apartment building in the 19th century. It has been home to a number of prominent Russians but now takes its name from the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev who lived there between 1860 and 1883. 2200 - Departure for return to the hotel. Monday, June 24, 2012 0915 - Assembly to leave for the Hermitage on a day when it is closed to the general public. Prompt departure is essential. This all-day visit is an exceptional opportunity to view the masterworks and interiors of the Museum without crowds. We will overview as many of the highlights as we comfortably can on this day with certain others being saved for the visits on Wednesday and Saturday. This curator-led tour will include the Theater and Peter the Great’s modest Winter Palace below. We will also focus on the European painting collection, including the Old Masters (Italian & Dutch) and the Impressionists. After a pause for a quick lunch at the Hermitage canteen (including a sushi bar), we will visit – in no particular order - the Peacock Clock; the War of 1812 Hall; the Pazyryk Burial; the Urartu artifacts. We will continue to take in additional exhibits until closing time at 6pm. 1900 – Dinner at the Vodka Room No. 1, a classic Russian restaurant with the widest choice of vodka in the city served with traditional vodka accompaniments. 2 Tuesday, June 25, 2012 0830 - Bus departs hotel for the island of Kronstadt. After a short tour of the Fortress (where Peter the Great started building up his navy already in 1703, immediately after conquering the island from the Swedes) and the town, we drive to Oranienbaum where our first stop will be the Chinese Pavillion, built by Catherine the Great. The estate at Oranienbaum was presented by Peter the Great to Prince Alexander Menshikov, his closest advisor. Originally built as Menshikov’s country home, the main palace is one of the few surviving examples of a Petrine Baroque mansion. After his death, the estate was eventually given by Empress Elizabeth to Peter III and Catherine commissioned architect Antonio Rinaldi to build the Chinese Pavilion in the Upper Park as an official summer residence. As Empress, however, she spent little time there, having come to dislike the estate during her marriage to Peter III. While never captured by the Germans, it was heavily bombarded during the war, and the restoration of the parks and buildings has only recently been completed. 1130 – Tour of the Palace of Peter III followed by a picnic lunch in the Park. 1345 – Departure for Peterhof where we will first tour the Lower Park with the fountains. The Lower Gardens of Peter the Great's time, now known as the Lower Park, are a masterpiece of Russian eighteenth-century garden design and engineering. The park includes a labyrinth of paths and ornate iron footbridges, as well as several small pavilions and gazebos, some of them very evocative. 3 1430 – Visit to Monplesir. Peter the Great’s original summer palace, is a charming baroque mansion looking over the Gulf of Finland, which demonstrates his restrained, European taste. Even when the Great Palace was built, Peter preferred to live in this bungalow close to the water's edge. 1515 – Visit to the Catherine Block and the Royal Bath Pavilion. Peterhof (“Peter’s Court” in Dutch) is a stunning formal summer palace, modeled on Versailles, but possibly even outdoing the original in grandeur and scope. Lying on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and chosen for its proximity to Kronshtadt, it is a masterpiece of architecture, landscape design, and fountain engineering. The Great Palace, which was built in 1715 by Jean Baptiste Leblond, was known in Peter’s time for its summer fetes at which all guests were invited to explore the Czar's domain. The Catherine Block is a spacious palace created by Catherine the Great but its location had been originally occupied by a Tea House built for the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in 1748-49. Catherine lived on the estate as the wife Peter III for fifteen years before the coup d’etat of June 28, 1762 made her Empress. It was from that Tea House that she traveled to St. Petersburg to ascend the throne. Peterhof is also known for its fountains. The Grand Cascade is as beautiful when it is viewed from the palace and is framed by the greenery of the park as it is when admired from the park looking up to the palace façade. The Samson Fountain which depicts the strongman tearing apart the jaws of a lion is especially noteworthy. It symbolizes Peter's victory over Sweden at the battle of Poltava in 1709, a battle which helped secure once and for all Russia’s hold on this region. 1600 – Departure by hydrofoil back to St.Petersburg. Evening – Leisure evening. Wednesday, June 26, 2012 0900 – Depart hotel for Hermitage for early opening and visit to the Diamond Fund and Gold Treasury as well as curator-led behind-the-scenes visits to one of the restoration labs and the porcelain department. 1230 – Lunch at Lucky Shot restaurant, famous for its offering of game dishes. 4 1345 – Departure from the restaurant for a curator-led tour of the Menshikov Palace on Vasilevsky Island proceeding afterwards to the Petrogradskaya neighborhood, the oldest part of the city. We will drive by the Kunstkammer Museum, the cruiser Avrora and visit both the Peter and Paul Fortress and the log cabin of Peter the Great, if there is time. Returning to the other side of the Neva, we will walk through the Summer Garden and view the Summer Palace of Peter the Great (currently under restoration) and the Panteleimon church, dating from this time. The citadel of the St. Peter and Paul Fortress was founded on May 27, 1703 by Domenico Trezzini, and was called “Sankt-Pieterburgh” in the Dutch manner. It was the birthplace of the city and the heart of old St. Petersburg. The Fortress has had a diverse history, including protecting the new city from the Swedes. Later, it also served as a political prison through which passed many notables such as Dostoevsky, Gorky, Trotsky and Lenin's older brother Alexander. During the Revolution, many of the nobility, including Romanovs, met their end there. The St. Peter and Paul citadel is one of the oldest stone buildings in St. Petersburg. To this day, the City marks its birthday on May 27th, the date that its construction began. Within the Fortress, the Cathedral serves as the burial place of all of the Russian Emperors and Empresses from Peter I to Nicholas II. The Cathedral’s construction began in 1712, the year that Peter the Great moved the capital from Moscow to St. Petersburg. The Cathedral’s most notable architectural feature is its thin spire, specifically designed to make it the tallest structure in Russia. Today, as in Imperial times, no building in the center is permitted to be taller than the peak of this spire – with the exception of the TV tower! 1900 – Dinner at Aragvi Restaurant - Georgian cuisine. 2100 – “White Nights” canal boat ride. When Peter the Great founded the city, he expected boats to be the dominant mode of transportation and had many canals dug through the islands. For example, Vassilevsky Ostrov was originally crisscrossed with canals known as ‘lines’ that were later filled in and turned into streets. This private boat tour is your chance to see the palaces of St. Petersburg as they were meant to be seen, from the water. The long sunset of the White Nights provides the perfect illumination. Thursday, June 27, 2012 0830 – Departure for Tsarskoye Selo. After the era of Peter the Great, Tsarskoye Selo, the “Tsar’s Village” became the formal summer residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility. A number of Imperial palaces were built in its vicinity. It was here that Russian engineers laid the country's first railway line in order to shuttle the nobility from St. Petersburg and between palaces for summertime balls. The train station at Tsarskoye Selo itself is an Art Nouveau gem, with murals depicting stations along the route. Tsarskoye Selo was renamed Pushkin in the Soviet era in memory of the beloved poet Alexander Pushkin who studied at the lycée here and later had a dacha in town. 0900 – Brief stop to view the Chesma Church and the Chesma Palace (from the outside only). 5 1000 – We continue the drive to Pavlovsk and the Park followed by a carriage ride through the grounds. (Palace/pavilion schedules subject to slight modification.) Pavlovsk came into existence in 1777 when Empress Catherine II granted her son, Grand Duke Paul, court hunting grounds situated on the bank of the Slavyanka river. After decades, it became one of the most beautiful summer palaces of Russia, both austere and graceful, and featuring the work of numerous leading architects who variously interpreted Russian classicism. In 1780, Charles Cameron began the construction of the central building of the palace, several pavilions, small bridges, and the general layout of the park. In the 1790s, Vincenzo Brenna enlarged the palace and continued the park's design, a task completed in the early 19th century by Andrey Voronikhin, Carlo Rossi and Thomas de Thomon. Counterbalancing the geometric, rational and strict palace is an enormous park of 600 hectares filled with scenic views of the Slavyanka river in the tradition of English landscape design. While named after Grand Duke Paul, the palace actually bears the stamp, especially on the inside, of his widow Maria Feodorovna, an enlightened woman who loved the palace and lived there for many years. The opulence is subtle and restrained, the ensembles gently harmonious, and the overall impression inexplicably uplifting. 1130 – Walk through Park to the Catherine Palace followed by a short walk to visit the Cameron gallery, the Lower bath house, the Grotte, and the Hermitage Pavillion. Although the Catherine Palace was named for Peter the Great’s wife, the Baroque façade we know today was built by his daughter, the Empress Elizabeth. Many of the Neo-classical interiors were, however, remodeled during the era of Catherine the Great. Barthalameo Rastrelli, the architect of the Winter Palace, designed the Catherine Palace for Elizabeth with a view to rival both Versailles and Peterhof. Three hundred meters in length, it is the longest palace in the world, and it is nearly one kilometer in circumference. Rastrelli also designed and executed the legendary Amber Room, using a total of 450 kg of amber, mostly in panels, and presented to Peter the Great by King Frederick I of Prussia. The mosaics were created by Florentine craftsmen. Removed by the Germans during World War II and remains lost since, the Amber Room was has been meticulously reconstructed. However, one of the mosaics, Smell and Touch, was rediscovered in 1997. No less impressive is the Great Hall, a grand ballroom lined with two tiers of windows interspersed with mirrors, perfect for balls on bright mid-summer nights. 1315 – Lunch at the Admiralty restaurant. 6 1430 – Departure for Gatchina and visit the Birchwood and Venice pavilions on the shore of the lake followed by a quick tour of the palace. 1800 – Return to lodgings. Evening – Ballet or opera performance, followed by a late dinner at a location TBD. Named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II and opened in 1860, the Mariinsky became the pre-eminent opera and ballet theatre of late Imperial Russia. It was the site of many premieres of musical masterpieces by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and RimskyKorsakov, choreographic works by Petipa and Fokine, of triumphs by Feodor Chaliapine, Mathilde Kschessinska, Anna Pavlova and Tamara Karsavina. Although it was the epicenter of Russian balletomania, it was still the opera company that was pre-eminent. Later, in Soviet times, it became known as the Kirov Theater and its international reputation stemmed from the ballet troupe. Friday, June 28, 2012 0845 – Leave by bus for Grand Duke Aleksey Alexandrovitch’s Palace, now a restored House 7 of Music. .As in the case of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna’s Palace, both are now private institutions but will allow select groups to visit during the day when they do not have events. 1030: Depart for the Hermitage Open Storage facility at Staraya Derevnya. This state of the art facility began operating in 2002. Parts of the complex are still under construction, but it already holds many treasures. The focus of the visit to the open storage will be on the carriage collection, tapestries, frescoes, furniture, tents and textiles as well as Central Asian antiquities brought back from Hermitage’s own archaeological expeditions. 1230 – Drive to the newly-restored palace of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna with some wonderful interiors for a tour and lunch. Now it is the Trade Chamber of St. Petersburg. 1530 – Visit to the Marble Palace including a tour of the apartments of Grand Duke Constantine. 1900 – The Hermitage Gala in the Winter Palace. Every year, this magnificent celebration, worthy of the Russian Tsars, attracts patrons of the arts and friends of the Hermitage from all over the world. As the Museum approaches its 250th anniversary in 2014, this year's Gala will focus international attention to the history of the Hermitage and its imperial owners, the 400th Anniversary of whose dynasty would have taken place this year but for the events of 1917. Historically, one of the most glamorous events ever to take place in the Winter Palace, the 8 "Romanov Ball" which was held by Nicholas II in 1903. All of the invited guests, i.e. the inner circle of the Empire comprised of the Imperial Family and the highest nobility, were required to wear 17th century costumes of the epoch of Tsar Alexis, the second Romanov Tsar. This costume ball became an instant legend. One hundred and ten years later we commemorate this amazing event by recreating it, in part, at our 2013 Gala Banquet. Festivities will commence at the Council Entrance on the Palace Embankment. From there, the guests will proceed to the Pavilion Hall where the participants of the Romanov Ball awaited the appearance of the Imperial couple. Champagne will then be served in the Hanging Garden of Catherine the Great. From there, guests will assemble in the Hermitage Theatre where, following the program of 1903, the artists of the Mariinsky Opera and Ballet will perform a Gala Concert. Then, our guests will then view the Winter Palace's main halls as they walk to the Jordan Gallery for a five-course dinner. Following dinner, guests will be invited to view a special exhibition en route to the Heraldry Hall where the dancing will commemorate the Romanov Ball of 1903. By tradition, at midnight, the famous Peacock Clock will chime, and a farewell toast will be offered in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace. Saturday, June 29, 2012 1030 - Departure by bus for a private tour of the Stroganov Palace, led by its Curator. The Stroganov Palace is one of the few Baroque palaces on Nevsky prospect whose façade has remained essentially untouched. Designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Baron Sergei Grigoriyevich Stroganov, it was built in 1753-1754 but decorated mostly by his son Alexander, who later became President of the Imperial Academy of Arts. The Neoclassical style interiors were revamped in the 1790s and early 1800s by architect Andrey Voronikhin, whose mother was a Stroganov serf, and who himself was rumored to be the son of Alexander Stroganov. During the early Soviet era, the palace was briefly a museum documenting the lifestyle of the Russian aristocracy, after which most of the contents were transferred to the Hermitage and the building given to a botanical institute, and eventually the Ministry of Shipbuilding. Since 1988 it has been part of the Russian Museum and has gone through a painstaking restoration, which continues today. We will visit not only rooms open to the public, but those still in the process of being restored. 1230 – Departure for the Vladimir Palace for curator-led tour. 9 The Vladimir Palace, the last Imperial palace to be built in St. Petersburg, is one of those special places that normally remain undiscovered by the average tourist. The Grand Duke Vladimir, one of the eight children of Tsar Alexander II, was a prominent patron of the arts, President of the Academy of Arts and the sponsor of many great artists, including Sergey Diaghilev. Among other things, he owned a valuable art collection, one of the gems of which was Ilya Repin's Volga Barge Haulers, said to be purchased from the painter for 3000 rubles. The construction of the palace, overseen by the architect Rezanov from 1867 to 1872, started when the Grand Duke was 20. Its opening was dedicated to an important event in the life of the Russian court, the marriage of the Grand Duke and Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The architecture and decor is dominated by eclecticism typical of the time: a monumental façade designed in the style of a Florentine Palazzo Strozzi, luxurious apartments with each room dedicated to a different style, from Renaissance to Rococo. Until 1917, the palace was one of the main centers of social life in St Petersburg, and the venue of countless musical and literary nights and balls. Princess Maria Pavlovna was regarded as one of the most illustrious socialites and her salon was frequented by the likes of Rachmaninoff, Chaliapin, and many others. After the Russian Revolution, the palace was handed over to scientists. It is for this reason primarily why the palace is one of the few in St Petersburg to retain its historic decor practically intact. These include the magnificent Louis XV-style salon, the Oak Room with a fireplace and “wood carvings” made completely from plaster, and the Oriental room for hookahsmoking with a portrait of Maria Pavlovna's daughter on the wall. Most importantly, however, there is nothing of the feel of a classical museum about the place, no red ropes to cordon things off, etc. As you wander across the slightly squeaky parquet floor, it feels almost as if the owners of the place had only just left the building. 1400 - Lunch at Mansarda Restaurant with marvelous food and views on St. Isaac’s Cathedral., 1530 – Tour of the Yusupov Palace, including the private rooms of Zinaida Yusupova, the mother of Prince Felix Yusupov, the murderer of Rasputin. On a quiet stretch of the Moika stands a long yellow palace. From 1830 to 1917, it belonged to the Yusupovs, an immensely wealthy princely family, known for their philanthropy and art collecting. Abounding opulence and luxury are preserved here at Yusupov Palace, one of the only palaces in St. Petersburg to retain its original interior design. The rooms stand as a testimony to the turn-of-the-century era in which the city aristocracy soared. The rooms are decorated in various styles: baroque (the theater), Empire style (gala halls), Oriental style (the Turkish study), neoclassicism (some rooms of the ground floor) and others. The rich interiors amaze visitors with their paintings, carving, marble, mirrors, crystal chandeliers, silk, exquisite furniture and so forth. The Yusupov Palace saw one of the most dramatic episodes in Russia's history: the murder of Grigory Rasputin. In 1916, a group of the city's noble elite, including one of the Grand Dukes, led by the Prince Felix Yusupov, conspired to kill the one man who they felt threatened the stability of an already war-torn Russian Empire. Grigory Rasputin, a peasant and self-proclaimed holy man, had won favor with the Tsar's family through his alleged supernatural powers 10 and ability to heal the Tsarevich. His control over the decisions of the Imperial couple posed a very real threat to legitimate rule in Russia. Rasputin was murdered in the basement on the night of December 1617 1916. His death proved to be an almost greater mystery than his life had been. His prediction that the Empire would not outlast him was frighteningly borne out by subsequent events. 1900 - Farewell dinner at Turgenev house. Sunday, June 30, 2012 For those leaving, departures at will: transfers by private cars from hotel to Pulkovo and Fast Track service at the airport. Optional day trip to Novgorod – details upon request. Monday, July 1, 2012 Remaining departures, with transfers and Fast Track service provided. If sufficient guests do not leave until the afternoon or evening, a further optional visit to the Hermitage might be arranged in the morning. Moscow option (price available on request) Friday, June 21st: Arrival at Moscow airport with Fast Track reception and transfer by private car to a first-class hotel followed by a Russian dinner. Saturday, June 22nd: Visit to the Kremlin including the Diamond room and the Armory followed by lunch and a city tour. Dinner at an exclusive ethnic restaurant. Sunday, June 23rd: Morning visit to the Tretyakov gallery and transfer to the Leningrad railway station for fast Sapsan train to St. Petersburg. All program activities are subject to change. 11 Reservation Form White Nights Tour June 23-29, 2013 Name (Last, First, Title):__________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________ City:___________________________ State:_________________ Zip Code:________________ Telephone: (_____):____________________ Email:____________________________________ The cost of this 7-day/6-night “White Nights” Tour (including the Hermitage Gala and your stay at a first-class hotel) is based on attached program: $9,850 of which $2500 is estimated to be tax deductible. The Gala Dinner is underwritten so all ticket proceeds go to the Hermitage Museum endowment fund. Costs not included above: Mariinsky Theater Tickets – date and price available shortly Optional Novgorod excursion on June 30 Possible optional morning at the Hermitage July 1st Optional Moscow tour June 21-23 Airfare to tour destinations Visa processing costs (once hotel reservations are made, we can obtain your invitation letter) I would like to purchase _________ tours at $9,850 per person for a total of Optional activities (Mariinsky, Novgorod, Moscow, other) I cannot attend but would like to make a donation to the HMF in the amount of $__________ $__________ $__________ Please make checks payable to the “Hermitage Museum Foundation” and return this form to: Hermitage Museum Foundation, “White Nights Tour”; 505 Park Ave, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022 The Hermitage Museum Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your donations will be tax-exempt to the extent permitted by law. Please contact us with any inquiries at 212-826-3074 or at [email protected] Payment by check and wire transfer will be most appreciated. 12 About Us The Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA), Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Hermitage Museum, supporting its future development, and improving access to its unique holdings through exhibitions, educational outreach programs, and publications. Since its inception in 1994, the HMF has contributed broadly to the preservation of the Hermitage’s collections and the historic buildings in which they are housed. Among the Museum’s treasures whose restoration and conservation have been made possible by the Foundation and its donors are Alexander Kruger’s stunning equestrian portrait of Alexander I in the Hall of 1812 and David Roentgen’s Apollo bureau purchased by Catherine the Great as well as the renovation of the Greek and Roman galleries. The Foundation has also already helped build the Hermitage’s holdings by facilitating gifts such as a major collection of Urartu artifacts, photography, decorative objects and works by contemporary American artists. The HMF is currently most engaged in its Art from America™ initiative which seeks to secure post-War and contemporary art for the twentieth- and twenty-first century galleries to be housed in the newly-refurbished General Staff building. Under this program, the Foundation is also in the process of planning several exhibitions for 2014 and 2015 as well as supporting the publication of literature in this area. This May, with the active involvement and support of the HMF, the exhibition Houghton Revisited will open at Houghton Hall. With the collaboration of the Hermitage, the National Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tsarskoye Selo and other lender, the Walpole collection will be re-assembled for the first time in its original setting since it was purchased by Catherine the Great in 1779. In the recent past, the HMF also helped make possible important exhibitions of contemporary art at the Hermitage by Louise Bourgeois (2001); Cy Twombly (2003) and Willem de Kooning (2006). Under development is also a loan exhibition from the Sainsbury Centre that will bring works by Francis Bacon to the Hermitage in late 2014. Leading Guide, Julia Korn In addition to the curators who will lead our group on our visits to a number of palaces and museums, we are fortunate to have with us again on this tour Julia Korn as our leading guide. For the past 20 years, Julia Korn has been Senior Researcher at the National Pushkin Museum in St. Petersburg and has published articles on Russian literature, history and arts. Fluent in English, she acts as the International Liaison Officer for the Museum. In this capacity, she has travelled to the UK and the US many times. In 1999, she helped coordinate the renowned International Pushkin Conference at Stanford University, California. Julia is also the St. Petersburg Representative of the International Pushkin Charity Fund concerned with the preservation and conservation of the legacy of the great Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin. She is a graduate of the St. Petersburg State University, where she majored in Russian Literature and History. In 2003, she graduated from the Art Management Department of the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland. Between 1997 and 2004, Julia served as a Director for the Stars of St. Petersburg Ballet Tours, regularly presenting fully staged productions throughout the western states of the US. As a world traveler herself, Julia has a keen insight into the special needs of the discerning traveler. Since 1995, 13 she has applied her combined skills working as a tour programmer and guide for groups as well as private clients. She has qualified in numerous courses and acquired all the licenses to conduct tours in all the major museums and palaces in and around St. Petersburg providing services for guests with special interests in arts, music, ballet, history and literature. Distinguished past clients have included the Paul Getty Foundation, the Smithsonian Institute, the “Save Venice” Charity Foundation, Eugene O’Neil Theatre Centre, the Florence Academy of Arts, the family of Vice-President Al Gore, film director Joe Wright and his production team, descendants of famous Russian aristocratic families, as well as numerous cultural, business, and political leaders. 14
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