On the first days of February 2015, I had a short visit to St. Petersburg, cultural capital of Russia. As it was a trade show where I had to work everyday. The heat was below zero and city was covered with snow at all. So, I didn't really have chance to behave as a tourist.
There was just one direct flight to Istanbul which is by Turkish Airlines. That usually makes me sad as I have to wait for that flight for some extra hours, mostly a half day. But this time, my last day in St. Petersburg, I thought I was lucky that the only flight was on the afternoon. I had to wait till 4pm.
Finally I had a half day in city which I used to visit Grand Maket Russia, the marvelous model museum located at an old building, near the suburbs of the city.
Grand Maket Russia, is a small, really small model of entire Russia with seriously tiny items. From Kaliningrad on the most western point, to Vladivostok at the Far East, all the country has been built with extremely realistic model items.
From people to cars, trains to other vehicles, mountains to lakes, rivers to snow, chickens to space shuttles, even more of Russia than you can possibly imagine, lays in front of your eyes there, in Grand Maket Russia. The thing is that, not just eyes, that fairytale world has something to your other senses. You can 'hear' the entire cities, get afraid with an artificial storm, listen the birds, children, just wait till it gets night and watch that "tiny Russia" under night lights or even touch one of the buttons to start an attraction prepared for you.
The museum has been established in 2012, just a few years ago. The models together spread on an area of 800 m2. Including the walking paths of visitors, maybe the total area of museum is %50 bigger. The museum declares on their website that they are sure none of the visitors will leave the place indifferent. That is absolutely right. Even if you hate, seriously hate the museums, I can personally guarantee that you will love Grand Maket Russia.
They have several awards including 2014 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.
I have been similar places before, one is 'World' in Shenzhen and the other is of course 'Miniaturk' in my hometown, Istanbul. I can easily say that they are both even not comparable with Grand Maket Russia.
In 'World' of Shenzhen, models of the major landmarks worldwide have been built at human size all around the park. That gigantic park has been built in parts as the continents and the landmarks are spread on a walking path among them.
'Miniaturk' of Istanbul has totally the same idea, but with landmarks of Turkey and some part of Former Ottoman Empire.
Coming back to Grand Maket Russia, first of all, it is built in a much smaller and closed area. As I wrote before, the items are extremely tiny.
For example, model of a military base was including tens of tanks and other military vehicles and perhaps more than a thousand soldier models each is not bigger than a centimeter!
Another place, an amusement park was crowded of a thousand of people whom wear daily clothes, each different.
To talk more about details, you can see often hundreds of cows, horses, chickens and other animals around the models of Russian countryside.
Pretty often on the entire model, you can find buttons activating a little motion. Maybe a lighthouse, or a truck move around, perhaps a tractor on the farm or just chickens eat their food!
All of these are incredible and nearly impossible to explain. You should definitely visit that museum if you have chance. The administrators of any country, city must check Grand Maket Russia and consider building a similar one of their lands. As it is hard to explain all these with words, just have a look at my photos for endless details.
Thinking about Russia, I always imagine 'big' things. Submarines, space shuttles, satellites at the sky... Coming to the "small" things, it just reminds me Switzerland with their watches, the Swiss army knife with tones of feauters or the nanotechnology or even CERN, where they 'play' with atoms.
At Grand Maket Russia, I felt myself at a Swiss made museum with uncountable details made at eternal working hours of magic hands. I was surprised that Russians are good at details that much. I remember that Carl Faberge was from St. Petersburg also, who was another expert of details, but on gold jewellery.
Probably that romantic city is the place of most sensitive people of Russia who love the details.
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