One of the oldest and largest departments in the museum, consisting of six sectors: 13th-18th century paintings; 19th-20th century paintings; drawings; prints; applied art; metalwork; and stonework, with over 600,000 objects. There are 72 members of the staff including 6 specialists with doctoral degrees and 22 Candidates (MPhil degree). The department's permanent exhibition occupies 120 rooms of the Hermitage.

This is one of the oldest departments in the museum. It consists of two sectors: Ancient Greece and the art and culture of the Northern Black Sea coast, with over 140,000 objects. There are 21 members of the staff including 3 Candidates (MPhil degree). The department's permanent exhibition occupies 20 rooms of the Hermitage.

The department was set up in 1931 based on the sector of Hellenic and Scythian Art, formerly a sector of what was then called the Department of Antiquities. There are 28 members of the staff, including 4 specialists with doctoral degrees and 10 Candidates (MPhil degree). There are over 500,000 objects in the department and the permanent exhibition occupies 33 rooms of the Hermitage.

Set up in April 1941, the department began to function fully only after the Second World War. There are 27 members of the staff, including 2 specialists with doctoral degrees and 13 Candidates (MPhil degree). There are over 300,000 objects in the department and the permanent exhibition occupies 50 rooms of the Hermitage.

The palace, the youngest department in the Hermitage, opened to the public in 1981 and houses the exhibition Russian Culture of the Early 18th Century. The most important element of this department is the original 18th-century interior decoration. There are 65 members of the staff including 2 Candidates (with MPhil degree). The exhibition occupies 22 rooms of the Hermitage.

Set up in 1920, the department consists of four sectors: the Ancient Orient; Byzantium and the Near East; Central Asia and the Caucasus; and the Middle East, with over 180,000 objects. There are 42 members of the staff including 4 specialists with doctoral degrees and 21 Candidates (MPhil degree). The permanent exhibition occupies 78 rooms of the Hermitage.

Alongside the Departments of Western European Art and of the Art and Culture of Antiquity, this is one of the oldest departments in the museum. The collection consists of two parts: antique and oriental coins, and European and American numismatic items, with over 1,115,000 objects in all. The first collections of coins and medals were acquired by Empress Catherine II in 1764. There are 18 members of the staff, including 2 specialists with doctoral degrees and 6 Candidates (MPhil degree). The department's collections are on display in the Numismatic Department Gallery and in other rooms of the museum.

Grad Duke Nikolai Pavlovich (the future Emperor Nicholas I) originated the formation of this collection of arms and armour, which now forms a separate department within the museum. There are 3 members of the staff, one of whom has a Candidate (MPhil) degree. Over 16,000 remarkable examples of arms and armour of various ages and countries are kept in the department. The main exhibition is housed in the Knight Hall.

This department was established in 1975 under the Chief Architect, but it obtained the status of research department in 1992. It consists of three sectors: Architecture and Restoration; Research Sector; and Sector of Archaeology and Architecture. There are 24 members of the staff, including 3 specialists with a Candidate (MPhil) degree.

The year 1925 is considered to mark the beginning of the Hermitage's educational activities-in that year over 80 excursions were held in the museum. There are 128 members of the staff including 9 specialists with a Candidate (MPhil) degree. Each year the department conducts more than 25,000 excursions and gives over 700 lectures.

The Hermitage has the largest, and one of the oldest, libraries of fine art in Russia. It has been an integral part of the Hermitage since the museum's foundation. Catherine the Great's personal collection of books formed the basis for the Hermitage library. Now it includes over 700,000 books on art, history, architecture and culture in almost all European and Oriental languages. The Sector of Rare Books and Manuscripts consists of over 10,000 items.

The main trends in this Department's activity are examination and authentication of works of art, numismatics, archaeological material etc. by means of scientific methods and instrumentation. The testing of new museum and conservation materials, development of innovative conservation approaches and providing analytical and document support for conservation are the other tasks left with this Department, which currently incorporates two laboratories equipped with rather modern equipment. The staff consists of 15 full-time scientists, including 6 Ph.D.