Prague… An amazing city full of ancient palaces, majestic cathedrals and many museums. Moreover, most of them are interesting, thematic, and each exposition can be considered a separate attraction.
This city appreciates the spirit of the country and cares about the past so much that two wax museums in Prague are located not only in the same area, but even on the same street. Let's try to find out why it happened and is it worth visiting their realistic exhibits?
Journey into the past
The Czech collector Zdeněk Koczyk had been nurturing the idea of creating an exhibition of figures of famous figures of mankind for many years. And he was able to realize his old dream by opening the doors of the first wax museum in Prague in 1997. Many political and cultural figures of the Czech Republic were invited to the opening,who contributed to the creation of the country's first such institution.
On the pages of guidebooks along the streets of the capital, the location of the museum is indicated as Celetna, 6, not far from Staromestska Square. And only residents remember that a wax museum was opened in Prague at Mostecka, 18, in a rather small room. After the amazing success of the undertaking, when the hall could no longer accommodate guests, the exposition was moved to a spacious old mansion, to which tourists are now habitually rushing.
How the exhibits were created
Despite the lack of experience, the creation of the first exhibits was approached very thoughtfully: talented sculptors and artists, experts in the history and traditions of antiquity were invited. Every detail of the costumes was carefully worked out and compared with known historical data. And experienced make-up artists worked on the faces of the characters. Therefore, many of the presented figures are difficult to distinguish from living prototypes.
In the early days, inexperienced museum visitors were sure that they saw live actors in makeup: drops of sweat on their faces, blush spots or an elusive expression of sparkling eyes. The thoughtful lighting of the halls and the placement of the characters on several floors of the old building contributed to this effect.
Halls of the museum
In total, the wax museum in Prague has more than sixty exhibits. So that visitors do not get confused among the figures of politicians, musicians and historical figures, the area of the mansion was divided intoseveral themed rooms.
- The hall of creativity, where you can see writers, artists and scientists, who are located in direct poses in a small room of the museum. A kind of "literary circle" attracts attention: the authors who are nearby and their most popular characters. Most citizens of the country, examining the figures, stop near the seated "good soldier Schweik", a favorite of many generations of readers. Nearby, Yaroslav Gashek, the writer who invented the resourceful private, comfortably leaned against the wall. Salvador Dali and Picasso "create" nearby, Franz Kafka thought about something. And the eccentric Albert Einstein is swinging over the heads of the astonished visitors.
- Hall of contemporary culture. It seems that time has really stopped in this place: figures of musicians have been lovingly installed here, over whose work the years have no power. It is difficult to list all the stars collected here: Michael Jackson and Tina Turner, Mick Jagger and Elvis Presley. What follows is a series of the most popular actors and actresses of our time, who seem to have just stepped off the red carpet. And even sports heroes were not spared: the strong figures of Czech hockey players Dominik Hasek and Dominik Jagr stand nearby. From the pleasant: in this hall of the wax museum in Prague, you can take a photo with almost any character. Museum workers had to fence off a copy of Charlie Chaplin: it was touched so often by visitors that every few weeks the figure had to be restored.
- The Hall of Politicians, in which you will like to roamlovers of modern history. Communism leaders from several countries from Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro to Brezhnev gathered behind a separate podium to communicate with the people. Nearby, Barack Abama flashes his usual white-toothed smile and the Dalai Lama smiles modestly.
Historical part of the exhibition
The organizers of the museum are very sensitive to the history of their country, so they arranged a kind of "Gothic dungeon" in the basement, where they placed the figures of historical figures of the Czech Republic. Here is a magnificent copy of the last of the Habsburg dynasty in the male line, King Charles VI, who ruled the Czech Republic almost 700 years ago. The Czechs simply adore Karl, remember his achievements and call him "the father of the fatherland." Moreover, in the museum next to the king there are copies of all four of his wives, dressed in luxurious dresses of that era.
Beside, in a darkened corner, two alchemists leaned forward, frozen in an eternal search for the philosopher's stone. And, of course, the national hero Jan Hus, without whom the exposition of the wax museum in Prague would not be complete.
Here, in general, the emphasis is on the national color of the country: the creators tried to emphasize its features and the uniqueness of the inhabitants.
Grevin Museum in Prague
In May 2014, just two hundred meters from the already described, the opening of a branch of the Paris wax museum Madame Tussauds took place. In Prague, the beginning of work was bright and colorful, like the museum itself. In the spacious bright halls, guests were greeted by amazingly executed copies ofprominent people. Writers, actors, musicians, politicians - I wanted to take a picture with everyone or touch a figure. Different halls have their own musical accompaniment: the sounds of applause, the sound of a tram in the street, a symphony concert at the opera…
According to numerous published reviews of the wax museum in Prague, children were especially delighted here. All the figures can be touched, photographed with them and even sit down side by side. For the little ones, they made a separate room where they can ride cars or play with their favorite characters.
Amazing Interactive Lab
In addition to viewing amazingly realistic figures, the Grevin wax museum in Prague offered its guests the services of a laboratory where they could create a virtual version of themselves, from a cast to the selection of hairstyles and costumes of their favorite era. Then the created image could be saved or sent by e-mail. Even adult, reputable visitors were captivated by this activity.
Museums of this level, in addition to the world famous in Paris, there were two more: in Montreal and in Prague. All the more surprising was the news that in March 2018 they decided to close the museum due to the low payback. Many customers liked that there were few visitors in the spacious halls and you could have a good time, but this was precisely the reason for the closure.
Tourist Tips
The Wax Museum in Prague is open every day from 10:00 to 21:00. Tickets can be purchased immediately at the entrance, forstudents, pensioners and children up to seven years of age have benefits and will have to pay only half the cost. You can also purchase a family ticket (two adults and two children) with a small discount.
Guests who like the exposition of the museum may be interested in visiting two more of its branches. One is located near Prague, in the picturesque Karlštejn castle. And the other is in the south of the country, in Cesky Krumlov.
