Hermitage-Vyborg Center

The Hermitage-Vyborg Center (Russian: Выставочный центр "Эрмитаж-Выборг") is an external branch of the Saint Petersburg based Hermitage Museum in the Karelian town of Vyborg. The museum was opened in 2010. Hermitage-Vyborg Center is located in the Vyborg Art Museum and Drawing School building (1930), which was designed by the Finnish architect Uno Ullberg.

The Hermitage-Vyborg Center is located on the top of Panzerlachs Bastion.

History

Art school students in the mid-1910s.

After the construction of the Saimaa Canal and the railroad connecting Helsinki, the capital of the Grand Duchy, with Saint Petersburg, the imperial capital, significant commercial and industrial activity began to flourish in Viipuri. As a result, Viipuri became the second-largest city in Finland, leading to an increasing demand for institutions dedicated to arts and culture. With its growth as a commercial center, Viipuri attracted a growing number of wealthy patrons.^[1][2]

The Vyborg Art Museum and Drawing School were founded by the Vyborg Art Society (Finnish: Viipurin Taiteenystävien yhdistys) (established in 1890). The Viipuri Art Society was established by Berndt Ivar Aminoff, Brynolf Blomqvist, Lilli Fabritius, Thella Frankenhaeuser, Wilhelm Hackman, Mathilda Lagerspetz, Conrad Oldenburg, and Eugen Wolff. It was founded during the period of the Grand Duchy of Finland, along with the drawing school. The art museum was created when Viipuri Province was part of Finland.^[1]

Art school students celebrating in the mid-1910s.

The society's initial objectives were to establish a comprehensive art collection and to found a drawing school. It played a significant role in enhancing Vyborg's reputation as a vibrant city for artists and culture. One of the drawing school's prominent students was Hugo Simberg.^[3]

The society created a fund to accept donations for the Art Museum. The first plans for the museum were developed in 1905. After Finland gained independence, the fund received substantial contributions to build the new museum, which included spaces for exhibitions and teaching.^[3]

Vyborg Art Museum in 1930.

Vyborg Art Museum and Drawing School was built in 1929–1930 when the town was a part of Finland. The classicism and functionalism style building is located on top of the 16th-century Panzerlachs Bastion, which was one of the fortifications of the Vyborg town wall.^[4] Like Alvar Aalto's famous Vyborg Library, it is another remarkable piece of Finnish-era modern architecture in Vyborg.^[3]

The museum had a large collection of Finnish and European art as well as works of various Russian masters. Vyborg was the second largest city in Finland and the Vyborg Art Museum was considered the country's second-most significant art museum, next to the Ateneum in Helsinki. It was severely damaged during World War II and the collections were relocated to several Finnish art museums. After the war, Vyborg became a part of the Soviet Union and the building was renovated for administrative use.^[3]

The latest renovations took place in the early 2000s. A children's art school was opened in 2003 and the Hermitage-Vyborg Center project was launched in November 2007. The branch museum was finally opened in June 2010.

Sources

• The Hermitage-Vyborg Center Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine The State Hermitage Museum