Founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great with the private acquisition of 255 paintings, the Hermitage has grown into one of the world's largest and most storied art museums. Spread across six historic buildings on the banks of the Neva River — including the opulent Winter Palace — its collection of over three million works ranges from prehistoric artefacts and classical antiquities to masterpieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Matisse, and Picasso.