Hermitage collection of arms to be presented in Astana

ASTANA – Astana residents and visitors will have the opportunity to explore the country’s rich history of arms when the Hermitage collection of arms opens July 3 at  the National Museum of Kazakhstan.

Photo credit: kazpravda.kz.

Photo credit: kazpravda.kz.

The event is organised within the framework of EXPO 2017 and will last until the end of the exhibition Sept. 10.

Its goal is to demonstrate the stages of development of weapons and arms art, showcase items created by masters from the past and introduce numerous forms and types of arms.

The exhibition will familiarise visitors with unique arms and weapons dating back to 15th-19th centuries, which for many years were kept in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

Guests will be able to explore nearly 70 pieces of Eastern and Western warfare brought from Turkey, Iran, India, Japan, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Although these items have no practical use today, the exhibition provides an opportunity to assess the contribution of arms craftsmen in the development of arts and crafts and to demonstrate their technical perfection and rich creativity.

Initially based on the private collection of Russian Emperor Nicholas I, the Hermitage collection of arms has now more than 15,000 items of Russian, Western European and Oriental warfare dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Tickets for the exhibition are available for purchase at 1,000 tenge (US$3.2) online or at the National Museum. Entrance ticket to the museum, which costs 500 tenge (US$1.6), is also required.


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