The Vladimir Palace is one of those special places that normally

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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
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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
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"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.
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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
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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,
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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.
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