Hermitage is one of the most famous and most visited museums in the world. His collection began with 225 paintings purchased by the Empress Catherine II in 1764. And now it has about 3,600 exhibits. Hermitage is among the five largest museums in the world. Once Empress jokingly wrote, "only me and mice admire all this masterpieces." Time passed, and her grandson, Emperor Nicholas I, made the Hermitage public. The pride of the Hermitage collection is works of art by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Gauguin, Rodin, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Cezanne and many - many others.
