AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS.- The Dutch branch of The Hermitage Museum has just opened in Amsterdam. The Hermitage branch has opened in six halls of the Amstelhof building, formerly a nursing-home. The ancient mansion is located in the center of the Dutch capital. The first exhibition is The Greek Gold, a collection of over 100 gold articles created by old Greek jewelers in the 6th-2nd centuries B.C. and unearthed in the old Greek cities on the Black Sea shores. Russian acting Culture Minister Mikhail Shvydkoi told reporters at the opening ceremony, "Today we have not just opened another museum abroad but a truly Russian cultural centre". The Hermitage is "the Russian main art museum, popularizing Russian art abroad", Shvydkoi said. "We are interested in as many people as possible to be interested in the great Russian culture," he stressed. "We want the world to know the best things made and existing in Russia, which has for 13 years been following the new road of democratic development. The Hermitage together with the Russian Museum constitute the most contemporary Russian museum center, which has fit in the world processes going on in the modern museum business."

The old Greek gold exhibition will open for visitors on February 28th and last until the end of August. It will be replaced by the Nicholas and Alexandra exhibition on the last Russian tsar and his family. In February 2005 an exhibition of Venetian painting from The Hermitage Museum stock is planned to be presented.

The Amstelhof building is one of the finest examples of monumental classicist architecture in Amsterdam. It was built in 1681-1683 as a home for the elderly in need of care. Thanks to a substantial legacy, it proved possible to complete the monumental building on the Amstel in less than two years. It was probably designed by the city architect Hans Petersom. Today, it is a modern museum interior that meets current standards with regard to climate control and public facilities. On the ground floor there is a museum shop and a café flanking the entrance. The first and second floors each have three exhibition galleries with a total floor space of 500 square meters. In the attic there will be a large educational studio for children.