The Hermitage marked the fifty fifth anniversary of man’s first flight into space.
«Fifty five years ago an event took place which people could only have dreamed of happening. The sky, inhabited by gods and radiant with constellations was conquered by man for the first time! The name of this hero is comparable with the names of the great heroes of antiquity and will be preserved throughout the centuries». With these words the quest game ‘Legends of the Cosmos’ began, created for the Day of the Cosmonauts.
The twelfth of April 2016 marked fifty five years from the day of the first flight of man into space. On this day the spaceship «Vostok» was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union. On board that ship was the first cosmonaut in human history – Yuri Gagarin. The State Hermitage celebrated this monumental day with a travelling game, inviting all willing participants to take part in the quests «Legends of the Cosmos» and «Signs of the Zodiac».
«Today you will visit halls which commemorate Yuri Gagarin. They are filled with man’s myths and dreams about the sky. Here, whilst admiring extraordinary artistic masterpieces, you can test your knowledge of astronomy and mythology».
The quest’s tasks highlighted the connection between exhibits from the State Hermitage collection with mythology and the cosmos. The event enabled the visitors to become closer acquainted with sculptures from antiquity, and with paintings from various countries, and to find out new and unexpected information about the planets and the constellations. Thanks to this, every participant was able to discover the Universe of the Hermitage and to enjoy works of art.
Everyone, after successfully completing the quest, received a lovely test as a gift – «Which planet are you from?».
On that day, the work of the students of the Drawing Studio School Centre of the Hermitage was shown on screens in the halls: photoreports from the exhibitions dedicated to the cosmos, pictures taken on the 12th April 1961 in Palace Square in Leningrad, and, of course, videos featuring the first cosmonaut hero of the USSR, Yuri Gagarin.
The event was designed, organised and directed by the Sector through work with volunteers together with the School Centre of the State Hermitage.