Madame Tussauds in London should certainly be included in the list of the most famous and interesting collections of sights. There are few people in the world who have never heard of the amazing collection of wax figures. Well, those people who happened to visit the capital of Great Britain, probably did not forget about this famous landmark of London and visited there.
History of creation
The founder of the museum was born in a military family named Grosholtz. The family lived in the city of Strasbourg, but after the death of the head of the family, which happened even before the birth of the youngest daughter Maria (in 1761), the widowed mother and children moved to Bern. There, the woman entered the position of housekeeper in the house of Dr. Curtis. The doctor at this time decided to finish his medical practice in order to do his favorite thing - the creation of naturalistic figures cast in wax.
In 1767 Dr. Curtis and Maria's family moved to the capital of France. From a very young age, the girl begins to comprehend the difficult art of creating figures from wax, as the doctor is extremely kind to Mary and does not spare time for her training.
At that time, the creation of wax figures was a profitable business, because there was not even a movie yet, so the only opportunity for many people to see what a celebrity looks like was visiting wax exhibitions.
After some time, Maria Grosholtz received an invitation from the King's sister Elizabeth to come to Versailles, where the girl spent 9 years. She was able to complete her education and gain useful work skills by creating wax copies of the king's relatives.
During the "revolutionary" purges that began in 1789, Maria, as a person close to the royal family, is imprisoned. There she met Madame de Beauharnais, who later became the wife of Emperor Bonaparte. Maria miraculously escaped execution, since the new authorities needed to create a wax copy of the murdered Robespierre, and a better master could not be found to perform this work.
After Napoleon came to power, things improved for Mary. Her mentor, Dr. Curtis, had died by that time, and she was independently and quite successfully doing her work. After some time, Mary marries and receives her husband's surname, becoming Madame Tussauds. True, the marriage was not very successful, and Maria, along with her two sons, leaves her husband for London. There, the family organizes a traveling exhibition, showing celebrity figures made of wax in different cities.
When Maria was 74 years old, a stationary exhibition was opened. The first museum building in London was located on Baker Street. After the death of Mary, who lived to be almost 90 years old, her sons and grandchildren continued the work of creating wax copies of famous people. In 1884, the exhibition was moved to a new building located on Marylebone Road, where the museum is located today. Although today the museum is no longer run by the descendants of Mary.
It must be said that there were many tragic villages in the history of the museum. So in 1925 there was a strong fire that destroyed most of the collection. But according to the preserved forms, the exposition was restored. Another serious incident happened during a Nazi air raid on London. An air bomb hit the building, destroying a significant part of the exhibits, which then had to be painstakingly restored.
Modern everyday life
And today Madame Tussauds wax museum in London is one of the most visited museums in the world. Every year it receives about 2.5 million visitors. A visit to the museum is not an easy visual experience, visitors will learn interesting facts about their biographies about the exhibits presented, the figures are allowed to be touched and photographed with them.
Every day before the opening of the museum, eight experts inspect the exhibition. Each specialist performs a certain part of the maintenance of the exhibits. One is responsible for the hairstyle of the exhibited figures, the other corrects makeup as necessary, the third is responsible for the costumes, etc.
Modern craftsmen are engaged in the manufacture of one figure for about six months, the cost of each of the exhibits is about 50 thousand dollars. About two dozen new figures are created per year. To achieve an ideal resemblance to living people, several dozen photos of the face and body are taken in different projections.
The modern exposition consists of 400 sculptures depicting famous historical figures and contemporary celebrities. But the first figure that visitors see is an elderly lady in a snow-white bonnet, this is the image of the founder of the museum, that is, Madame Tussauds herself.
Then, passing through the halls, you can see copies of famous personalities. Even the photos of the exhibits show that the images are frighteningly realistic. When viewed "live" impressions are even stronger.
You can see a variety of celebrities in the exhibition. Here and famous musicians, and actors, and politicians. Some characters are given special attention. For example, Napoleon and his wife are given two halls, in which, in addition to the figures of historical figures, some personal items belonging to the emperor's family are presented.
An exposition dedicated to the royal family is presented in a separate room. There are figures of the current Queen Elizabeth and young princes - William with his charming wife Kate and Harry.
Workers of culture and science are not left without attention. Moreover, visitors are offered to “compete” with celebrities. For example, you can take an interactive quiz to compare your IQ to Albert Einstein's IQ, or to see if a visitor or Picasso is more creative.
The museum presents not only the figures of real people, there are special rooms where you can look at famous literary and film characters. It will be interesting for children and adults to look at Jack Sparrow, shake hands with Shrek or take pictures with Spider-Man.
When creating figures for expositions, masters use all the achievements of scientific and technological progress. Some figures may move or engage in conversation with visitors.
Attraction "Spirit of London"
An interesting and funny attraction, which is very popular with visitors, allows you to fully plunge into the atmosphere of medieval London. Museum guests are offered to stay in small cabins and are transported through the halls, in which the atmosphere of “old” London is meticulously recreated. Moreover, the characters that visitors will meet are by no means static. The townspeople will greet the guests with their hands, and the military personnel will salute.
The famous room of horrors
Speaking of the museum, one cannot fail to mention the famous room of horrors. This section of the museum is of particular interest to visitors, because the figures of the bloodiest and most terrible villains from the history of mankind are collected there. To visit the horror room, you need to have strong nerves, so children, pregnant women and people suffering from heart disease are not allowed there.
In the room you can see horror scenes from medieval torture chambers. And since visiting the halls is accompanied by special audio effects that imitate the screams of people during torture, the impression of the tour will be extremely strong. The tours are also attended by groups of made-up actors who suddenly appear in the halls. I must say that all this can be very frightening, so people who are not sure about the stability of their nervous system should better refuse such an excursion.
Of course, to describe all the exhibits and tell about all the attractions of the famous London Museum is an impossible task. And no one will be able to convey in words and photographs the impressions that are born when visiting a unique collection of celebrity figures. That is why the Tussauds Museum remains one of the most visited and loved by tourists places in London.
How to get?
It remains to tell where the famous museum is located. The exact address of this attraction is London, Marylebone Rd, NW1 5LR. You can get there by subway to Baker Street station or by bus route 274, 74, 113, 82.
Finding the right place is not difficult, the photo of the building shows that it has an unusual domed roof and stands out from the rest of the buildings.
On weekdays, the exposition is open from 10 am to 5:30 pm. On weekends, the museum opens half an hour earlier, and on holidays it closes half an hour later.
The total cost of a ticket to visit the exhibition is 30 euros for an adult, and 25 for a child. But, if you buy tickets online on the museum website, you can save from 10 to 25%. On the museum's website, you can buy a complex ticket that allows you to purchase several famous London attractions at once, such a "wholesale" purchase allows you to save a significant amount.
Madame Tussauds has branches located in 14 different cities around the world, so you can see the famous wax figures not only in London.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is one of the most popular in the world. The central office is located in London, but today there are 19 of its branches around the globe.
The very first branch was opened in 1971 in Amsterdam - Madame Tussauds Amsterdam.
The collection at that time consisted of 20 figures. Today there are already about 50 of them. In addition, every year the number of exhibits is growing, and there are more and more storylines.
The figures are full-length and many bear a striking resemblance to the originals. Naturally, it is difficult to say how much the wax Rembrandt resembles his real character. But the figures of famous actors and musicians or great athletes or famous political figures are quite capable of being appreciated by everyone.
Moreover, you can not only take pictures of the exhibits of the museum, but also touch, hug, pat on the shoulder. The original, well-thought-out interior design, musical and sound accompaniment, unexpected effects - all this will leave a lot of impressions and, if desired, a huge number of photos.
There are two disadvantages:
- There are always a lot of people in all the halls and in order to take a picture with one or another character, you will have to stand in line.
- The ticket price (22.5 euros) can hardly be called democratic.
Back in 1770, the first exhibition of wax figures took place in France. The general public was presented with the work of Dr. Philip Curtis, who served at the court of Louis XV. These were the figures of famous people, including the king and his young wife.
One day, being almost a child, Marie Tussaud, the daughter of the housekeeper Curtis, went into the workshop and what she saw amazed her and captivated her, as it turned out, for life. The doctor, seeing such a strong interest, began to teach a 6-year-old girl the craft of creating wax sculptures. Mary's first known work is the figure of the famous French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which brought her fame and popularity. Orders started coming in. Then came the figures of Voltaire and the American politician Benjamin Fanklin.
The revolution in France made certain adjustments to the work of the girl. Marie Tussauds made a large number of wax masks of French celebrities whose lives were cut short by the guillotine.
After the death of the master and mentor, Maria became the owner of a rather curious collection. Having taken all the figures, Maria moves to London. For a long time she travels around England with a traveling exhibition. And in 1835 he opened his own museum on Baker Street, which moved to Marylebone Street 50 years later.
In 1925, as a result of a fire, most of the exhibits fell into disrepair. But since the forms of the models remained, and the exhibition itself was very popular, it was decided to restore the exhibits. A few years later, the museum was re-opened to all comers. And at the end of the twentieth century, a wave began to open branches in many tourist meccas of the world.
exposition
Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam is the oldest of all the branches. Each room is dedicated to a specific theme. It is worth noting that the museum has a certain national flavor.
At the entrance, visitors are met by a pirate who introduces the history of Amsterdam, takes them to the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. At a time when Holland, along with England, was the queen of the oceans. Everything is done in proportion and even the smallest detail of the interior is carefully thought out and masterfully executed.
Also, peasants and artisans in national costumes create a special atmosphere. Of the familiar faces - the greatest representative of the Golden Age of Dutch painting Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Madame Tussauds herself meets everyone further. This is an elderly serious lady in a dress of the Victorian era. She strictly inspects all visitors through round glasses.
Then meaningful encounters with the past and present begin. Someone can be recognized immediately. Some faces are unknown to the Russian public, and the similarity of some figures with the original is very distant.
It is worth arming yourself with a camera or camcorder. Since you can take pictures everywhere (except for the hall of horrors). The exhibits can be touched - this makes it possible to take unforgettable and original pictures.
In the hall with a galaxy of prominent politicians, it is worth taking a photo with Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the leader of the world proletariat, or with Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. Do not recognize the Russian authorities, then shake hands with the spiritual mentor of the Buddhists - the Dalai Lama or smiling Barack Obama. "Chat" with the monarchs of Europe, such as Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands or the beautiful Lady Dee.
Receive a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI.
It is also impossible to remain indifferent and pass by the most eccentric celebrities: extravagant artists Salvador Dali and Van Gogh, scientist physicist Albert Einstein.
But the biggest queues in order to take a photo as a keepsake line up with pop (rock) stars and actors. Here is the widest field for fantasies - you will not see any funny options. Sometimes, while studying a wax sculpture, you get great pleasure from all kinds of ideas being photographed:
- And they manage to look under the skirt of Marilyn Monroe, and hug Angelina Jolie in different places (all this in front of the wax Brad Pitt).
- You can drink coffee with George Clooney for a pleasant conversation or try to beat David Beckham.
- Why not take the famous moonwalk with Michael Jackson, or rock and roll with Elvisle Presley.
- Capture yourself with the Mona Lisa.
- Hold the hand of "beauty" Julia Roberts.
There is also always a queue to the horror room, where you will be greeted by interactive maniacs of all times and peoples. The administration of the museum and the visitors themselves recommend that impressionable, pregnant women and children avoid this part of the exposition, since there is a special way that allows you to see the rest of the exposition of the museum without entering this hall.
The museum has a mini-workshop where you can try yourself as a sculptor and create a souvenir figure out of soft pliable wax.
Practical information
Address: Dam 20, 1012 JS Amsterdam
Ticket price: Adults = 22.5 euros, children from 5 to 15 years old = 18.5 euros, children from 0 to 4 years old = free.
By purchasing a ticket online on the official website of the museum www.madametussauds.com, you get a discount of about 2 euros.
On the site you can get acquainted with various price offers, depending on your preferences, you can choose an additional program and buy a walk along the canals of Amsterdam or another visit to 1-2 museums. This combined ticket will help you save some money.
Opening hours: from 10.00 to 18.30.
After 18.00 the museum is open only for exits.
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Madame Tussauds is named after its founder, Mary Tussauds. However, her interest in sculpting arose in her childhood, when she bore her maiden name Anna Maria Grosholts. It was she who stood at the origins of the creation of wax figures. And her business is still alive and enjoys great popularity all over the world.
The story of an extraordinary sculptor
Mary's mother served at home with Dr. Philip Curtius, who, in addition to healing, was fond of anatomy and was engaged in the creation of anatomical models, and soon began to create various wax sculptures to order. Little Maria often ran into his workshop and watched his work - then Curtius began to teach her the art of creating wax figures.
At the age of seventeen, Mary created her first sculpture - and it was a sculpture of Voltaire himself. The great philosopher passed away a few months after the modeling session, so his wax bust, displayed in the window of Curtius's shop, attracted buyers and helped the family to establish a business.
Maria became an assistant to Curtius - she managed his affairs, helped with the organization of exhibitions and continued to make sculptures. He appreciated both the help and the girl's talent for sculptural art, and therefore subsequently bequeathed to her all his works.
Maria Grosholz became so famous for her wax figures of famous personalities that she was once invited to model sculptures of members of the royal family themselves. During the advent of the French Revolution, Maria was sentenced to death, but her chance to escape was the creation of death masks from murdered royals and the removal of casts from revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre, Marat and others.
A few years later, Marie married François Tussaud, a French engineer, and had two sons, Joseph and François. She continued to sculpt and create wax figures of famous people. But one day, leaving her husband who had become drunk, she and her children went on a trip to the islands of Britain and along the way continued to create sculptures of famous historical figures and British political figures.
This is how the first Madame Tussauds appeared, which at that time was a traveling exhibition - Maria carried it with her during her travels.
Soon she finally moved to the British capital. So in 1835, the same Madame Tussauds Museum appeared in London, and it was originally located on the famous street called Baker Street.
Fifteen years after the opening of the museum in London, Madame Tussauds passed away, but her business did not disappear thanks to her sons and grandchildren. Soon the museum moved to a more prestigious area of the capital, on Marylebone Road. And even despite the fact that half a century after the move, Madame Tussauds lost most of the sculptures due to a fire, they were restored thanks to the surviving dummies.
The very famous Madame Tussauds wax museum, which is mostly meant, is still located in London. The exposition of the museum usually has about four hundred wax figures.
The popularity of this place is so great that every time in front of the entrance there are huge queues of people who want to see the creations of the Tussauds dynasty. Many of the sculptures placed in the museum were made by the hands of Mary. By the way, the wax figure of Madame Tussauds is the very first sculpture that meets the audience who enter the museum building. Its author is Madame Tussaud herself, who decided during her lifetime to create her own self-portrait.
All exhibits of the collection are divided into thematic halls. "World Arena" - this is the name of the largest of these halls, which contains wax figures of famous personalities from the field of history, culture and politics of different centuries.
Visitors will also see figures of the royal family there, including Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton, brother Harry and others. Politicians of the 20th and 21st centuries are also gathered here: visitors will see Indira Gandhi, Barack Obama, and many other political figures.
Separate halls are dedicated to the stars of sports, the music world, Hollywood and even Indian Bollywood. Visitors simply run their eyes from so many star doubles: from Freddie Mercury and Jimi Hendrix to Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, from Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston.
A separate room is dedicated to the most terrible historical events: famous maniacs, serial killers and their victims, instruments of torture and other thematic exhibits are placed there - fortunately this is all made of wax. Unstable psyche, pregnancy and the age of up to twelve years are the restrictions for visiting this room of fear.
Although the main Madame Tussauds museum is located in London, as well as the workshop where each figure is created, nineteen branches of the museum have been created in nineteen cities around the world. The most famous and interesting branches of the Tussauds opened in Berlin, New York and Amsterdam. Each of them contains unique sculptures, but celebrities can be repeated.
Madame Tussauds gives celebrities immortality in the form of wax figures, but some of them even experience some sort of regeneration. If a celebrity gets a tattoo or changes her hairstyle, then the masters can add or change this in an existing sculpture, introducing new elements there, but most often the wax figure of a celebrity is completely created anew.
This is due to the fact that, unlike wax sculptures, living people tend to change over time or through plastic surgery. For example, the figure of the singer Kylie Minogue changed four times, and the wax figure of Michael Jackson, for known reasons, thirteen times.
How wax figures are made
All visitors who come to the Madame Tussauds wax museum are struck by the resemblance of sculptures to celebrities. In especially successful cases, the celebrity in the photo cannot be distinguished from the wax double. But not everyone knows what is behind the creation of wax figures in the museum.
- It takes a huge amount of time, about three to four months, to make each wax sculpture, as the craftsmen carefully work out even the smallest details. About two hundred of these figures are produced annually.
- First, measurements are taken from the face and body of the person who wants to make a wax figure. Celebrities have to spend a lot of time in the workshop for the sculptor to collect all the necessary information: what is his model’s skin and eye color, hairstyle, hair color and shape, does she have moles, scars, tattoos, etc. And in the case when there is no man left alive, modeling masters have to be guided only by photographs.
- After the measurements are taken, you need to fix the pose of the future sculpture. For this, a metal frame is used: the lower part of the figure is formed from hard metal, and the upper part is made from soft metal.
- Based on the measurements, a clay model of the model is compiled - it must exactly match its real appearance. Then the frame is formed with these clay casts.
- After that, the time comes for beeswax - they pour wet clay and wait for the figure to solidify, which takes about 170 hours. After that, the sculpture is polished, if necessary, and small imperfections are removed.
- Madame Tussauds has a realistic approach to all the details, so the wax figures do not wear wigs - natural hair is attached to the "skin" of the sculpture's head, strand by strand. After that, a hairstyle is formed. Hair work can take more than a month.
- Then comes the turn of teeth and eyes: for their manufacture, acrylic rubber is used.
- The skin color and "make-up" of the sculpture are created using oil paints.
- Celebrities themselves usually donate their own clothes and accessories to the wax figure.
The safety of each figure is closely monitored: the sculptures are checked before and after each exhibition day. At the same time, visitors, for example, are not forbidden to hug the wax double in order to take a photo.
If you wanted to see firsthand what one of the most unusual museums in the world looks like - Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London, then watch the following story in which you can walk through the halls of the museum with the author of the video:
Madame Tussauds Museum (London, Great Britain) - expositions, opening hours, address, phone numbers, official website.
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Marie Tussauds mastered the intricacies of wax figure making during her mother's years as a housekeeper for Philip Curtis, a wax figure maker. Madame Tussauds, who transported her figures around the cities and villages of England (as magicians, circus performers or itinerant troupes of that time), settled in London in 1835. In the late 19th century, the museum moved from Baker Street to a house on Marylebone Road, where it remains today. The concept has changed little: those who are massively successful (frightening, disgusting or delightful) should be sculpted without delay. The Liverpool Four, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, Hitler, Chaplin coexist with Amy Winehouse, the royal family, including the hereditary couple, Benedict Cumberbatch and the heroes of all Star Wars episodes.
Today, Madame Tussauds is the largest and most famous wax museum in the world. Movie and show business stars, presidents and prime ministers of various countries, the president, kings and queens - who is not on display! Branches of the museum operate in 10 more cities on different continents, so now you can argue in which of the museums Tom Cruise or J. Lo look more natural. At the London Museum, you can stand in line for up to several hours, as it is extremely popular with tourists.
The degree of realism of the performance is amazing, it is complemented by the “ability” of some figures to move, talk and respond to the actions of visitors: Jennifer Lopez, for example, blushes from indiscreet looks.
The popularity of the museum is not declining, as it is always sensitive to the emergence of new outstanding personalities and celebrities, regardless of their type of activity. The appearance of new characters in the exposition is held solemnly, in the presence of representatives of the press and numerous guests. But the statues disappear quietly and imperceptibly, as soon as their real counterparts lose their popularity. Of course, there are characters who, with their real qualities, have provided their wax counterparts with a permanent place in the museum's collection.
It would seem that entertainment is childish, but many tourists consider Madame Tussauds to be a “must-visit” place in London, although the entrance fee is quite high (however, interesting promotions can be found on the museum’s website, for example, a combined ticket for two places).
Many people at Madame Tussauds are attracted by the opportunity to be photographed hugging a star. Museum staff do not mind, despite the fact that enthusiastic tourists have already squeezed several characters to death. But the most interesting section is the exhibition "Spirit of London", which presents scenes of London life in different eras, from the time of Elizabeth to the present.
Madame Tussauds museum
