The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, has opened a new branch in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A restored 17th century building in the Dutch capital – the Amstelhof, a former retirement home – will now host more than 1,800 artefacts from its sister site, as well as two permanent exhibitions, one on Dutch-Russian relations, and the other on the history of the building.

The Amstelhof has undergone nearly US$50m (£30.6m, 36.1m euro) of refurbishment work, and the 9,000sq m (96,000sq ft) museum now consists of two large galleries, an old chapel, regents’ rooms and an enclosed garden. The building also contains a study centre, a restaurant, shops and the Hermitage for Children center.

Mikhail Piotrovsky, director of the State Hermitage, said: “In a certain sense, it is a new exhibition hall of the Hermitage, the only difference is that it is located in Amsterdam. It is important to remember that this centre is not the property of the Hermitage. It is Dutch.

“The Hermitage organises exhibitions, restores items and prepares catalogues. The Dutch side is responsible for all the infrastructure and the promotion.”

Image: Luuk Kramer