The Red Art District

Looking for a cover reason to visit Amsterdam? Just say you caught the art bug and want to see what made those Bolsheviks see red. 

The Hermitage Museum, located in St. Petersburg's grandiose Northern Palace, will launch its first satellite site on Saturday with the grand opening of the Hermitage Amsterdam. More than 1,800 treasures have been brought in for its inaugural exhibit, At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century, which recreates the royal opulence and grandeur of the Russian throne's last hurrah. It's the visuals from this imperial age, which ranges from Catherine the Great's son Paul I to the final days of Tsar Nicolas II, that paint the backdrop for the surging Bolshevik revolution that followed.

The Russian Hermitage, with a collection second only to the Louvre, provided its new sister site with such historic antiquities as the famed Romanov throne, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna's grand piano, classic jewelry by Fabergé and a collection of richly adorned costumes and ball gowns that would make Liberace swoon. Likewise, the exhibit features portraits of the last royal Russian rulers, Tsar Nicolas II and Tsarina Feodorovna (at left), who would be executed after the October Revolution.

The Hermitage Amsterdam itself resides in a 107,000-square-foot, 17th-century building in the heart of the Dutch city. Renovated for around $50 million, the historic space features open, light-filled galleries, an outdoor terrace, a 400-seat auditorium and a café restaurant. The museum will host two large-scale exhibits each year, with Russian Court set to show through late January.

Kicking off in style, the Hermitage Amsterdam will remain open for 31 hours with a White Nights festival, an annual St. Petersburg tradition that takes place on the night of the midnight sun (a.k.a. the longest day of the year). The gala celebration will include concert performances along the Amstel River (and no, the river's not made of beer).

"The opening of Hermitage Amsterdam is the culmination of nearly two decades of planning," wrote Ernst W. Veen, Managing Director of Hermitage Amsterdam, in a statement. "At the same time, it is a continuation of more than 300 years of close ties between Amsterdam and St Petersburg, going back to Tsar Peter the Great's fabled residence in our city."