In the early 1990s, the St Petersburg based State Hermitage Museum started looking for a place to host a satellite museum in the west. Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky decided that Amsterdam would be the best place, given the strong historical links between the two cities. The Amstelhof building was chosen, previously in use as a nursing home, was chosen because of its value as an example of modern classicist architecture. The museum hosts a variety of temporary collections throughout the year.
