The Hermitage celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Saint Petersburg–Moscow railway with an exhibition exploring how this new mode of transport transformed not only distances but also architecture, art, and the very rhythm of life in the country.
The Arab Hall of the Winter Palace has opened its exhibition «Let There Be a Road! Celebrating 175 Years of the Saint Petersburg–Moscow Railway». The venue was chosen deliberately: it was in the imperial residence that key decisions regarding the construction of Russia’s first railways were made. The exhibition will run until 24 January 2027.
At the heart of the exhibition lies not so much the technology as the new culture that emerged alongside the railway. Stations and carriages, journeys of the imperial family, bridges and trains quickly became integral to the visual language of the 19th century. This story is told through paintings, graphic art, medallic and applied arts, as well as commemorative items connected with the Tsarskoye Selo and Nikolaev railways.
A dedicated section is devoted to the individuals without whom the railway breakthrough would not have been possible. Among the exhibits are portraits of Nicholas I, one of the key initiators of the construction of the mainline; Count Alexei Bobrinsky; Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich; as well as a sculptural depiction of engineer Pavel Melnikov, who would later become Russia’s first Minister of Railways.
The very name of the exhibition refers to Nicholas I’s decision to initiate the construction of a railway between the two capitals, despite significant debates surrounding the project. The railway was built over eight and a half years; it stretched 644 km, featuring 184 bridges, 19 overpasses, and 34 stations along the route. At the time of its opening, it was the longest double-track railway in the world.
Among the particularly intriguing items is a cotton handkerchief printed with a map of the route, created to mark the opening of the railway in 1851, alongside models of vintage steam locomotives, a toy train set, lithographs and engravings depicting stations, bridges and trains. Here, the railway is presented not as an abstract feat of engineering, but as a phenomenon that almost instantly became part of everyday life – extending even to souvenirs and children’s toys.
«A new aspect of culture is reflected here. It’s not just the emergence of the railway, as described in legislation, but also the birth of a new culture – stations, carriages,» said Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director General of the Hermitage, at the opening. According to him, the exhibition also serves as a reminder of the individuals whose decisions made this new transport system an integral part of the country.
In this sense, the exhibition proves unexpectedly contemporary. 175 years later, Moscow and St Petersburg are once again linked by the prospect of a major railway project – a new high-speed line. Thus, the story of the first great route between the capitals is read today not merely as a museum piece, but as a moment when Russia first faced the same challenge: to shorten the distance between its two principal cities and, in doing so, transform the familiar scale of the nation.
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