The history of Hermitage cats of St. Petersburg
Hermitage cats of St. Petersburg
Officially kept in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, cats have lived here since its foundation. In particular, they prevent intensive breeding of rats and mice in the State Hermitage Museum. Meanwhile, in April 2012, there were 70 cats in the museum. According to the director of the Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky, cats have become a very important part of the Hermitage and the significant part of Hermitage Legends. Noteworthy, the history of the Hermitage cats reckoned with imported from Holland by Peter the Great cat, who lived in a wooden Winter Palace. However, in the XVIII century in the Old Winter Palace badly bred rats spoiled the building, gnawing holes in the walls. According to the most popular version, the cats appeared in the Hermitage thanks to the founder of the Hermitage, the Empress Catherine II. She, after visiting Kazan, noticed that there were no rodents because of the large number of cats.
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