The Great Kolyvanskaya Vase, one of the main symbols of the Altai region, is depicted on the coat of arms and flag of the region. This stone masterpiece made of jasper, known as the "queen of vases," is the largest bowl in the world. It weighs 19 tons and has a height of 2.57 meters, with a small diameter of 3.22 meters and a large diameter of 5.04 meters.

By the beginning of the 19th century, three stone-cutting factories were operating in the Russian Empire, one of which, Kolyvanskaya, was located in Altai. It was there in 1819 that a giant jasper monolith measuring up to 11 meters was found on Mount Revnyukha, which was reduced to 5.6 meters during processing. The discovery was reported to Emperor Alexander I.

In 1820, architect Abraham Melnikov prepared the vase's design, but work did not begin until nine years later, after models were made.

About a hundred craftsmen manually worked on the monolith for two years. Then, 567 people moved it over 30 versts. At the Kolyvanskaya factory, an ornament was applied to the jasper, the surface was polished, and the interior was made hollow. A hole was drilled in the pedestal for a steel rod to connect it to the bowl's foot.

The work was completed in 1843, and the vase began its complicated journey to St. Petersburg, arriving in August of the following year.

However, due to its enormous size, the vase could not be immediately placed in the palace. It was temporarily left near the Anichkov Bridge and then moved to the embankment while a place for its installation was prepared.

Emperor Nicholas I decided to make the exhibits of the Winter Palace accessible to the common people. By his decree, construction of the New Hermitage began in 1842.

In 1849, the vase was installed in the country's first public art museum. Initially, it was located in a passage, but then 800 builders erected walls and a roof around it.

By 1851, the New Hermitage was fully ready. The "queen of vases" still resides there, astonishing visitors with its size and beauty.