In St. Petersburg will host a celebration in honor of the cats living in Hermitage
St. PETERSBURG, may 13 — RIA Novosti. Traditional for St. Petersburg holiday “Day of the Hermitage cat” will be held on Saturday, reported the press service of the Hermitage.
“Day of the Hermitage cat” — a special project developed by the State Hermitage and devoted to cats living in the Museum. Cats have become an important part of the life of the Museum and one of the significant legends of the Hermitage.
The opening ceremony of the festival will be held at noon in the Great courtyard of the Winter Palace. Here will summarize the results of the school competition “the Journey of the Hermitage cat to the East”, then there will be an open competition “My Hermitage cat”. During the day, will work the creative Playground “Art workshop”.
On the third floor of the Winter Palace opens the exhibition-event “he is a Bad cat that dreams of becoming a tiger” — the show of popular prints depicting two boys, garnets and cat in the mask of a tiger from the Museum’s collection.
Saturday and Sunday will be open for visitors cellars of the Winter Palace — from 12.00 to 16.00 you can take part in the walk “where the cats live”. Also in halls of the Museum there will be a game “Reading Ovid, or Travel with a Hermitage cat”.
Hermitage cats can trace their history from the beginning of the EIGHTEENTH century, when Peter the great settled in the Winter Palace brought a cat from Holland. Later, the Empress Elizabeth issued a “Decree of expulsion to the court of cats.” Catherine the Great — the founder of the Hermitage gave the cats the guardians of the picture galleries. The tradition of keeping cats in art galleries for protection from rodents was broken only once — during the siege of Leningrad.
After the great Patriotic war, the animals went to the tens and the Museum was organized a special service for the care of unusual “staff.” Currently in the Museum basement has about 50-60 cats.