Prince Felipe of Asturias visits exhibition dedicated to Peter the Great

Prince Felipe of Asturias who came to St. Petersburg on Monday evening has visited "The Founder of Petersburg" exhibition in the Hermitage dedicated to Peter the Great.

This is already the second visit by the heir to the Spanish throne to the Hermitage, State Hermitage deputy director for exhibitions and development Vladimir Matveyev said. The Hermitage saw Prince Felipe's first visit in 2002. The distinguished guests toured the halls for several hours to see the main pearls of the museum collection.

This time the excursion lasted for an hour and focused on "The Founder of Petersburg" temporary exposition dedicated to Peter the Great. It is considered the main exhibition project of the Hermitage devoted to St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary.

According to Matveyev, the prince took a special interest in collections of weaponry and exhibits from Peter I's collection: the statue of Venus of Tavrida and Rembrandt's painting, the first work by the great artist in the Hermitage collection.

Though the time of the visit was limited, His Royal Highness wished to see the Gallery of 1812 which recently opened after long restoration. The gallery features portraits of heroes of battles against Napoleon.