What possible connection could there be between a viral Polish TikTok rap song about cats and the grand Winter Palace halls of St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum? When the museum's legendary cats are thrown into the mix, a surprising amount emerges.
As the Hermitage continues to improve its social media marketing, a video of the cats prowling around the former residence of Russia's tsars set to the song's pounding beat has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram in their own right, with credit given to Polish musician Mateusz Jarzbek's original post. In July 2021, the museum joined TikTok, and its Instagram posts gained traction during the Covid-19 lockdown. As a result of Russia's Omicron wave, as of 28 January, only those aged 18 and over with a state-issued Covid QR code are permitted entry to the Hermitage.
Felines became a permanent fixture at the Hermitage on the orders of Empress Elisabeth Petrovna, Peter the Great's daughter, in order to keep the mice and rats under control. Recently, the museum promoted them as football game results in fortune tellers. In November 2021, the Hermitage officially transferred one of its cats, Seraphima, to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is part of the State Museum of St Petersburg's history.
Jean Dubreil