Russia’s Hermitage Museum has partnered with Russian video production company Videofabrika to create a brand new VR experience for visitors.

The Hermitage VR Experience is based on key events in the museum’s history, spanning a 300 year period dating back to the 1700’s. It takes place inside a purpose built cinema, where 20 guests view the film through Samsung Gear VR head mounted devices.
Videofabrika collaborated with Russian film studio Super 8 to create the 19-minute film, which stars acclaimed Russian actor Konstantin Khabensky as a mystical time-travelling guide. The guide takes guests on a spectacular journey through centuries of Russian history in the halls of the Heritage Museum, giving them unrestricted access to areas of the museum, including the roof, that are usually closed to the public.

Mikhail Antykov, interactive creative director at Videofabrika, says: “We’re using VR to create a new kind of history lesson which teaches people in an interesting way. We let people feel and be in the history.”
Antykov adds: “We see a trend that all the museums and attractions are starting to incorporate VR into their programme and we expect this to grow. This is the first step for our re-imagining of the high-end museum experience.”