There was formed

[milan2003_07]

The phrase has been taken from the Guidebook 'the Hermitage' (author: Sofia Kudriavtseva) issued in St. Petersburg in 2017:

'Finally, in 1941, shortly before the beginning of World War II, there was formed the last department - Department of Russian Culture.'

This is about different departments at the Hermitage museum.

Is the costruction 'there was formed...' grammatically correct in the sentence above? I find it a little strange.

Instead, I would say 'Finally, in 1941, shortly before the beginning of World War II, the last department was formed - Department of Russian Culture.'

 

[emsr2d2]

It's very outdated but it's correct. These days, we're more likely to use your version. (I'd add the definite article before "Department" though.)

 

[jutfrank]

I wouldn't call this phrasing outdated exactly, though it does have a somewhat formal style.