Madame Tussauds wax figures are all. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

Address: UK, London, Marylebone, st. Marylebone Road
Date of foundation: 1835
Coordinates: 51°31"22.3"N 0°09"18.8"W

Who among us has not dreamed of meeting a celebrity at least once in our lives? Ask for an autograph from the singer of your favorite band or take a photo with popular actor? Interest in people who have achieved great success in creativity, sports or politics, lives in each of us.

View of the museum from the University of Westminster

The beautiful and the great delight and attract. However, just like the terrible and disgusting... But in real life Few people will be lucky enough to be photographed hugging Hollywood beauties, shaking hands with the president, or fearlessly looking into the eyes of the most cruel and terrible maniacs. The exception is the lucky ones who visited Madame Tussauds in London! Or its branch in another city, although any branch is far from the main museum. Madame Tussauds (French “Madame Tussauds”) is the most famous museum in the world wax figures, founded by sculptor Marie Tussaud and located in Marylebone, an upscale area of ​​London.

The museum has branches in 14 major cities in the world (New York, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Vienna, Berlin, etc.). The branches' exhibitions include over a thousand wax sculptures of prominent politicians, film and pop stars, and historical figures. But the most famous and interesting museum is Madame Tussauds in London. More than 2.5 million people visit it every year and that says a lot.

A doctor who loved making copies of people and his student Maria

The history of Madame Tussauds began on that cold December day when, in 1761, in Strasbourg (France), a daughter named Maria was born into the family of an officer and a simple Swiss girl. The girl's father died in the war shortly before her birth, and soon Maria's mother moved with her and the rest of her children to another city - Bern.

The museum building which previously housed the London Planetarium

There she got a job as a housekeeper for Dr. Philip Wilhelm Curtius. The doctor had unusual hobby– he made anatomically correct wax models of people. As it turned out, the meeting of the old doctor and little Maria was fateful.

In 1765, Dr. Curtius moved to Paris. Two years later, Maria and her mother join him. The mother continues to work as a housekeeper, and little Maria begins to learn the art of creating wax sculptures. Even then, as a child, she showed a deep interest and talent for recreating accurate images of people in wax. The doctor, seeing her as a diligent student, willingly shares the secrets of his skill with the girl.

In Paris, Curtius decides to show his work to the general public. The first exhibition took place in 1770 and was a resounding success.. Wax copies real people, among whom was, for example, Madame DuBarry (the favorite of King Louis XV), were to the taste of the Parisians.

In those years, Maria also worked on creating her own sculptures, which would later be included in the exhibits of Madame Tussauds in London. Among others were wax figures of Voltaire (her first sculpture), Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin.

Inscription on the museum building

Meanwhile, Phillip Curtius continues to organize exhibitions in Paris. Among them, especially noteworthy is the one that took place in 1782 on the Boulevard du Temple. Shocked spectators saw shockingly life-like wax sculptures of famous murderers and executed criminals. It was this exhibition that became the prototype of the Chamber of Horrors, for which Madame Tussauds in London is so famous.

Meanwhile, the streets of Paris are becoming restless - a revolution is approaching. In 1789, rioting rebels, shouting and cursing, carried wax figures of hated politicians made by Maria through the streets. With the change of power, Maria is arrested and imprisoned, where she meets Josephine Beauharnais - future wife Napoleon. Maria was saved from the guillotine only by the fact that after the death of one of the leaders of the revolution, Robespierre, she was invited to make death masks for him and his killer.

After her release, Maria returns to the workshop of Dr. Curtius, who by that time had already died, but managed to bequeath his collection to his student. In 1802, Maria marries engineer Francois Tussaud and becomes Madame Tussaud. The collection of figures of Mary herself continues to grow, and so does her popularity. But her husband starts drinking and losing his fortune at cards, so Maria leaves him and, taking her eldest son and her collection, moves to the UK.

View of the museum from Marylebore Road

In 1835, the first exhibition of wax figures opened on the famous Baker Street in London. From this moment, the history of Madame Tussauds in London begins, who lived to be 88 years old, having managed to create many more amazing sculptures during her life.

Madame Tussauds London and its wax “inhabitants”

Today, Madame Tussauds is located in one of the most prosperous and prestigious areas of London - Marylebone, on Marylebone Road. This is north of Westminster, not too far from Trafalgar Square.

The museum displays more than 400 wax sculptures depicting famous people the most different eras. Each sculpture is made so accurately and carefully that at first it’s hard to believe that these are not real people made of flesh and blood, but their wax copies! Therefore, it is not surprising that the production of just one figure takes up to 6 months, and its cost is $50,000.

Entering the museum, visitors see... no, not a famous politician or actor. They are greeted by the figure of a small elderly woman. She's wearing black dress and a snow-white cap. The eyes on a round, good-natured face look through the glasses attentively and affably. This is a wax sculpture of Madame Tussauds herself - an amazing woman, the owner of this extraordinary place.

Albert Einstein sculpture

Walking through the halls of Madame Tussauds in London, visitors will see almost all more or less famous people of history and modernity. Music lovers can admire the legendary Beatles, lounging imposingly on a velvet sofa, or the outrageous Michael Jackson. Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn are just like alive, hundreds of times more real than on the screen.

Some particularly significant historical figures receive increased attention. Napoleon Bonaparte, whose wife Madame Tussaud knew, was given two entire halls. There, in addition to the figure of the great conqueror himself, you can see his personal belongings, such as the commander’s camp bed.

A separate exhibition at Madame Tussauds in London is dedicated to the British royal family. Here are Elizabeth II, Princess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, and Princes of the British Crown William and Harry. Of course, there is also a masterfully executed figure of Princess Diana.

Michael Jackson sculpture

Cultural figures and people of science are not forgotten. You can recognize Albert Einstein from afar by his famous hairstyle. You can also “get to know” Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde. An interesting opportunity for visitors is to take interactive tests: for IQ with Einstein or for creativity with Picasso!

You can freely take pictures with all the exhibits (hugging and touching the figures is not prohibited!). This is a great opportunity to become the owner general photo With famous politicians(Barack Obama, George Bush, Vladimir Putin), pop and film stars (Madonna, Britney Spears, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise), or outstanding athletes (David Beckham, Eli Manning). Or perhaps someone would prefer a photo with supermodel and actress Kate Moss, or the infamous socialite Paris Hilton.

Chamber of Horrors - the sinister “dungeons” of Madame Tussauds

A special part of Madame Tussauds in London, its creepy “dungeons”, is the Chamber of Horrors. The same one, the prototype and source of ideas for which was the Cabinet of Horrors of Dr. Curtius, Madame Tussaud’s teacher.

The horror room fully lives up to its name and can make a very strong impression. Therefore, heart patients, pregnant women and small children are not allowed there. And then you never know...

Freddie Mercury sculpture

Those brave souls who decide to visit the Chamber of Horrors, filled with alarming dim light, will see the dark underside English history. Wax figures of the most famous English thieves, murderers and traitors are collected here. A chilling thrill is evoked by Jack the Ripper, a serial killer who operated on the streets of London in the 19th century and was never caught.

The scenes of medieval torture and executions are disgusting and at the same time attractive. Their verisimilitude involuntarily fascinates frightened visitors. There are also a couple of guillotines in the Chamber of Horrors. Real guillotines, used for their intended purpose during the Great french revolution.

Completes gloomy picture atmospheric sound background: the screams of tortured people, pleas for help, the crunch of bones being ground on the rack. Add the costumed performances of made-up actors suddenly jumping out from around the corner, and you will probably agree that children and people with weak hearts really should not be allowed here!

Sculpture of Winston Churchill

And although you understand with your mind that the Chamber of Horrors is an ordinary, albeit the most terrible exhibition, when you are in it, it is difficult to get rid of the impression that someone’s evil and merciless gaze is watching you. In the end, it’s surprising but true that when one day there was a fire at Madame Tussauds (in 1925), in which almost all the wax figures died, the fire for some reason did not affect the Chamber of Horrors...

Madame Tussauds London and modern trends

Madame Tussauds London continues to develop rapidly. The collection of wax figures is continuously updated with realistic copies famous personalities. The administration zealously ensures that Madame Tussauds presents wax doubles of all the most popular (or notorious) currently the time of politicians, actors, singers, athletes, showmen and musicians.

However, Madame Tussauds' exhibitions are not limited to sculptures of real people. Teenagers (let’s be honest, many adults too!) will be delighted to meet face to face with the heroes of American Marvel comics and films based on them: Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, Batman, Catwoman and many others. The characters of modern cinema and animation have not been forgotten. Jack Sparrow is no less charming than in Pirates Caribbean Sea", and Shrek seems even greener and funnier than in the cartoon of the same name.

Madame Tussauds museum Today it is the most famous wax museum in the world.

Today in our photo review we will present you the newest exhibits of the celebrity wax museum.

The legendary house of wax is located in London's Marylebone. There are also 10 branches in major cities: Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Vienna, Berlin, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Washington and Amsterdam.

The founder of the museum is sculptor Marie Tussaud.

Madame Marie Tussaud born in Strasbourg in 1761. Her stepfather Philippe Curthus was passionate about making small wax busts. In those days, photography had not yet been invented, and a portrait of an artist was unaffordable ordinary people. Therefore, wax casts were very popular. Maria also became interested in wax figures.

In 1777, Marie Tussaud made a bust of the famous philosopher Voltaire. When Voltaire died, she became the only owner of a unique wax cast. This wax figure was displayed in the window of a small family store. Voltaire's bust was very attractive to buyers and connoisseurs of this type of art.

Soon Maria married Francois Tussaud. She gave birth to two sons. Family business developed and went up. Maria needed support from her husband, but he began to drink often and start family scandals. He also became interested in gambling.

Madame Tussauds' collection of celebrity wax figures was constantly growing, and new problems were being added. Soon Maria and her sons left for the capital of Great Britain - London. From this moment the creation story begins Madame Tussauds wax museum.

The British, famous for their traditions and love for their history, immediately turned their attention to Mary’s unusual hobby. She started the UK and organized exhibitions. The collection, consisting of several dozen wax figures of famous people, which were incredibly difficult to distinguish from real ones, aroused delight among all visitors.

Soon the sons suggested to their famous mother that they establish a wax museum in a permanent location.

In 1835, they bought a house in the center of London on Baker Street and opened a museum in it. At that time, Madame Tussaud was already 75 years old.

The central exposition of the museum was the so-called panic room. It contained figures of serial killers and the most terrible criminals of that time. The exhibition was constantly updated and replenished with new wax figures, so when you came to the museum again, you could see new heroes and celebrities.

Madame Marie Tussaud died in 1850. Her many years of work were inherited by her sons.

In 1884 the collection of wax figures moved to Marylebone Road. After moving in 1925, there was a fire in the house, which destroyed almost the entire collection of exhibits. However, the fire did not touch the molds for making wax figures, and they were reconstructed.

The business, which was started by Marie Tussauds back in XVII century, in the 21st century has become an entertainment empire. Nowadays, the great-grandchildren of the legendary great-grandmother continue her work, opening new houses of wax figures around the world and creating new exhibits.

Photos of wax figures from Madame Tussauds

Kate Winslet

Britney Spears

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama

Adolf Gitler

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and members of the royal family

Wolverine

Michael Jackson

George Bush

Tyra Banks

Johnny Depp

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Lady Gaga

Marilyn Monroe

Jennifer Lopez

Nicole Kidman

Terminator

Maria Sharapova

Fidel Castro

Elvis Presley

Christina Aguilera

– one of the most popular British museums, an exhibition of wax figures founded in the 19th century.

Among other wax figure exhibitions, Madame Tussauds stands out for its large number of exhibits and certain media promotion. The addition of new figures to the exhibition is often covered in the media and is considered a kind of recognition of the merits of the individual.

Story

The history of the creation of wax figures began long before the foundation of the exhibition or museum. Madame Tussaud, whose name was Marie Grosholtz before her marriage, was born in France in 1761. Then she and her family moved to Switzerland. Her mother got a job as a housekeeper for Dr. Phillip Curtis, who, among other things, specialized in creating wax models. Young Marie studied with the master and, at the age of 16, was able to completely independently create a figure of Voltaire.

Work with Curtis continued until his death in 1794. At this time, the future madame not only created wax doubles, but also removed death masks from the heads of victims of the French Revolution, which will play an important role in the popularity of the museum in the future. The teacher bequeathed all his created figures to Marie, and she and her extensive collection traveled throughout Europe with temporary exhibitions for several decades. Also in 1795, Marie married and took the surname Tussaud.

Marie herself also suffered during the revolution. Before she started, she was at the royal court and taught Louis's sister XVI art. The revolutionaries arrested Madame Tussaud and her mother, and she spent some time in prison. And it is the work of removing death masks from the heads of the nobles allowed her to go free, as she became proof of loyalty for the revolutionaries.

In 1802, Marie Tussaud ended up in England, but was no longer able to return to mainland Europe, as the Napoleonic Wars began, which affected most countries After a period of traveling around Great Britain and Ireland, Madame Tussauds, along with her family, settled in London and rented premises on the famous Baker Street. The first permanent exhibition opened here in 1836.

An important part of the exhibition was the “room of horrors”, which still exists today. It exhibited wax figures made on the basis of those very death masks collected during the revolution. It was this part of the museum that attracted a significant part of the visitors.

After Marie's death in 1850, her children continued to work on her work, and they also learned the art of creating wax sculptures. The permanent exhibition operated until 1883, when the grandson of Marie Tussaud, due to a number of factors (the modest size of the building, increased rent), decided to build his own premises on Marylebone Road, where the Tussauds Museum of London is now located.

This move for the Tussaud family brought a number of problems - the costs were too high and the business had to be sold, which was interspersed with financial squabbles between family members. Also in 1925, a fire destroyed almost the entire collection; fortunately, all the forms were preserved and the figures were quickly restored. Once again they had to be restored after being hit by an aerial bomb in 1940. Meanwhile, the popularity of wax figures only grew; Madame Tussauds London became one of the most popular in the whole of Great Britain and today there are more than 20 branches around the world.

Tussauds London

Usually, when they talk about Madame Tussauds, they mean exactly main exhibition in London. Today, this museum is owned by the Merlin Entertainments group, which owns a number of other museums, entertainment venues and attractions, including the London Eye, Aquarium, Lego Park, etc. Madame Tussauds occupies a special place as it is one of the main attractions of London, with Since its opening, 500 million people have visited it.

There are about 400 wax figures on permanent display in London. Most of them are dedicated to musicians, movie stars, and politicians. Some of them refer to celebrities of the past. There are also figures dedicated to artistic characters, so the largest wax figure belongs to the Hulk, and the smallest to the fairy Tinker Bell. At the same time, some celebrities are presented precisely in the form of characters or their stage images, as an example - Johnny Depp, depicted as Captain Jack Sparrow. The figures do not remain in the museum forever; part of the exhibition is initially temporary, usually these are thematic exhibitions for the release of popular films, but other figures may be removed as visitors’ interest in them declines.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is very different from other similar exhibitions in its care for visitors. Most of the figures, except for especially valuable exhibits such as those that have survived from the time of Marie herself, are not fenced off from visitors. You can freely approach them, hug them, and take pictures.

Current exhibitions

Thematic exhibitions at Madame Tussauds London are constantly changing. But a number of themed rooms remain unchanged:

At the same time, the museum keeps up with the times and, depending on certain events and the popularity of franchises, temporary exhibitions are organized. One of the modern and progressive parts of the exhibition is dedicated to Youtube and its stars. Another part of the museum is themed with the Marvel characters that have taken over movie screens in the last few years, as well as a special area dedicated to the revived Star Wars franchise.

• The wax figure most attractive to women, according to workers, belongs to Justin Timberlake. He gets more hugs than any other exhibit. There is one problem with this for the museum: its image is complemented by a snow-white suit, which gets dirty very quickly.
• And among women, visitors consider Kylie Minogue the sexiest. In any case, her wax figure (already the 4th in the history of the museum) receives the most kisses.
• The total number of visitors over almost 200 years of operation of the museum was 500 million people. On average, this is about 3 million in one year.
• Some of the figures, as already mentioned in the note about Kylie Minogue, are being remade. This mainly applies to celebrities who have been at the peak of fame for a long time. But the record belongs to the Queen of Great Britain, who has been redesigned more than 20 times so that her appearance matches as closely as possible the current appearance of the Queen, who, unfortunately for the British, is definitely not getting any younger over the years.
• The oldest of the figures was created in the 18th century. She depicts the sleeping Countess DuBarry, lover and favorite of Louis XV. Interestingly, this wax figure also has mechanical parts.
• Some celebrities voluntarily donate personal items for the exhibition, but if we are talking about dead people, the museum tries to buy the necessary items at auctions.
• Celebrities often visit the museum and take pictures with their replicas. But in 2010, Ozzy Osbourne personally took the place of his figure (albeit at the New York branch) and scared unsuspecting guests who sat nearby for a photo.

Hitler figure

Madame Tussauds could not ignore the controversial personality of Hitler. This exhibit was not only popular for viewing by visitors, it was also the most frequently subject to vandalism and criticism. But the most curious incident occurred not in London, but in Berlin. In 2008, a visitor cut off the head of a Hitler figure. Although it turned out that he did this not because of political motives, but as a bet with a friend.

In London, another problem was connected with Hitler at Madame Tussauds. Many visitors, taking pictures with the exhibit, raised their hands in a Nazi salute. The administration had to take action against this after a number of publications in the media, warning visitors about the inadmissibility of such behavior.

But the story ended in January 2016. Scandals involving Nazi salutes among visitors allowed the Jewish community to collect enough signatures to convince the museum administration to completely remove the wax figure of Hitler from Madame Tussauds' exhibition in London. At the same time, in other branches of the museum, the Hitlers may be present among other world leaders.

Making wax figures

Decisions about the creation and inclusion of a figure in the Tussauds Museum exhibition are made at meetings of the management committee. After this, the craftsmen begin to work, about 20 people work on each figure for 4 months, and the final cost of the figure, taking into account all costs, is, on average, 150 thousand dollars.

Most of the celebrities whose figures appear at the exhibition take an active part in this. To ensure the accuracy of the image, casts and measurements are taken of faces and figures, and many people then donate items of personal clothing for their own copies, which adds even more authenticity to the exhibits.

Finished figures are serviced by a special team of workers. Every day, shortly before opening, each of the exhibited wax copies is checked, cleaned of dust, and makeup is corrected. Models also periodically wash their hair and wash their clothes.

Madame Tussauds museums around the world

The museum in London is the first, most famous and largest, but the network already has more than 20 branches around the world. Six museums operate in the USA, another 6 in Europe, 8 exhibitions under the Tussauds brand have already opened in Asia, and the last one is in Australia. Some exhibitions are closing, others are preparing to open, so their number is not constant, but in general it is growing from year to year.

Madame Tussauds has a very touching history of its creation. It all started back in 1761 in France. After the death of her husband, the mother of this amazing woman was forced to move from Strasbourg to Berlin in search of work. She found it in the house of the doctor Philip Curtius. The man had a very unusual hobby - creating wax figures. Mademoiselle liked this activity so much that she decided to learn all its secrets and devote her life to this particular art form.

The first works of the young sculpture were put on public display in London in 1835 (in the northern part of Westminster). That's when it was founded ancient museum! After 49 years it moved to a building on Marylebone Road, in the heart of the city. A few years later, almost nothing remained of the collection of figures; it was destroyed by fire. Madame Tussauds had to start work again and reconstruct all the dolls. After the death of the owner of the wax “empire,” the sculptor’s heirs took over its development. They developed new technologies to prolong the “youth” of their statues.

Where is Madame Tussauds located?

The main exhibition hall is located in England, in the most prestigious area of ​​London - Marylebone. But it also has branches in major US cities:

• Los Angeles;
• New York;
• Las Vegas;
• San Francisco;
• Orlando.

In Asia, representative offices are located in Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bangkok. Europe is also lucky - tourists can see masterpiece sculptures in Barcelona, ​​Berlin, Amsterdam, and Vienna. Madame Tussauds became so popular that her works went far overseas, to Australia. Unfortunately, they have not yet reached the CIS countries for 2017.

The exact address of the main Madame Tussauds museum is Marylebone Road London NW1 5LR. It is located in the building of a former planetarium. Regent's Park is nearby, and the Baker Street metro station is nearby. It is convenient to get to the site by train or buses 82, 139, 274.

What can you see inside?

The exhibition includes more than 1,000 figures around the world. Sculptures have taken their place in different branches of the museum:

• actors;
  
• musicians;
  
• politicians;
  
• writers;
  
• athletes (Maria Sharapova, Ronaldo, etc., David Beckham is especially popular);
  
• representatives of the English royal dynasty;
  
• heroes of films and animated series and simply famous personalities.
  

At the entrance to the central branch of Madame Tussauds, guests are greeted by its owner in modest attire “in person.” During a tour of the exhibition halls you can say hello to participants legendary group The Beatles, take a photo with Michael Jackson, shake hands with Charlie Chaplin, exchange glances with Audrey Hepburn. For history buffs, there are two rooms reserved specifically for Napoleon himself and his wife! The museum did not forget about those who devoted their lives to science and cultural activities. Among them:

• Charles Dickens;
  


• Shakespeare;
  
• Pablo Picasso.
  

Naturally, members of the British royal family took pride of place in the London branch of Madame Tussauds. They seem to be pictures come to life, it seems that Kate Middleton has just stepped out of the pages of a magazine, tenderly holding the hand of her husband, Prince William. And to the right of them stands majestically the mistress of Buckingham Palace, great Elizabeth II. The strict Sir Harry keeps her company. And where would we be without Lady Diana!

It was simply impossible for Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Rihanna, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, the scandalous couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney, confidently sitting on the sofa, to appear in the museum.

Political figures of no less interest are:

The Berlin branch displays figures of Winston Churchill, Angela Merkel, and Otto Von Bismarck. Children will be delighted by the figures of Spider-Man, Superman, Wolverine, and cinema lovers will be able to pose against the backdrop of Jack Sparrow and Bond characters.

Who are the Russians represented in the museum?

There are few Russians in Madame Tussauds museums. It’s worth going to Amsterdam to see Comrade Gorbachev and Lenin; the former, by the way, also found his place in New York, near Reagan. A sculpture of one of Russia's presidents, Boris Yeltsin, is located in the London branch. From modern politicians Russian museum masters decided to recreate only Vladimir Putin, whose statue adorns the exhibition hall in the UK and Thailand. These are the sculptures exhibited in different branches of the institution!

Room of Horrors: Brief Description

This is what the museum is famous for in the first place. Entrance here is only available to people with healthy hearts and nerves; children and pregnant women are not allowed here. Madame Tussauds was inspired by her teacher's cabinet of horrors to create this mystical corner. The situation here is extremely dark, with deceivers, traitors, thieves and even serial killers stalking you at every turn. One of the most popular is Jack the Ripper, who committed brutal murders on the streets of London at the end of the 19th century and remained uncaught.

In the fear room, scenes of torture and executions that took place in the Middle Ages are very accurately recreated. They are given reality by real guillotines used during the French Revolution. All this chilling horror is complemented by the sounds of bones crunching under the hammer, cries for help, and the screams of prisoners. In general, before going here, you should think a hundred times.

What's so impressive about this place?

The sculptures exhibited in Madame Tussauds museums are real masterpieces. They are so similar to their originals that you won’t even notice the fake in the photo. Masters can achieve this effect by precisely observing all body proportions, height and body composition. Absolutely everything is taken into account - hair color and length, eye shape, shape of the nose, lips and eyebrows, personality traits faces. Many of the mannequins are even wearing the same clothes as the real stars.

Particularly curious visitors can see with their own eyes how famous dolls are made. At the exhibition you can look at the instruments necessary for masters in the works, on future celebrity clone elements and accessories that will be used in the process. By the way, many of them are given by the stars themselves.

Helpful information

An interesting fact is that at Madame Tussauds it is allowed to take photographs with the sculptures without any permission. You can touch them, shake their hand, hug them, and even kiss them. You can at least take photos of all the exhibits! It will take at least an hour to explore the collection. To be among this starry beau monde, you need to pay 25 euros per child and 30 euros per adult to the box office.

Little trick! The price of tickets if purchased on the official website of the museum is approximately 25% lower.

The cost of the ticket is also affected by the time of day; in the evening, after 17:00, it is slightly cheaper. You also need to consider the museum's opening hours. From Monday to Friday its doors are open from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and on weekends from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Excursions in the area are extended by half an hour holidays and by an hour during the tourist season, which lasts from mid-July to September.

It must be taken into account that those wishing to get into famous place there is a lot, so you will have to stand in line for at least an hour. This can be avoided if you buy a VIP ticket, which costs about 30% more than a regular ticket. Those who are going to purchase it online do not need to print the document, just present it at the entrance in electronic format. Don't forget to take your ID with you!

Madame Tussauds is not just a collection of wax figures, but a whole separate world with its inhabitants. In no other place can you meet so many stars at the same time! No matter how interesting the story about him may be, all this is definitely worth seeing with your own eyes.

Madame Tussauds is named after its founder, Marie Tussauds. However, her interest in sculpting began as early as childhood, when she wore girl's name Anna Maria Grosholz. It was she who stood at the origins of the creation of wax figures. And her business still lives and is very popular all over the world.

The story of an extraordinary sculptor

Maria's mother served in the house of 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 sculptures from wax to order. Little Maria often ran into his workshop and watched his work - it was then that Curtius began to teach her the skill of creating wax figures.

At the age of seventeen, Maria created her first sculpture - and it was a sculpture of Voltaire himself. Great philosopher died a few months after the modeling session, so his wax bust, displayed in the window of Curtius’s shop, greatly attracted buyers and helped the family establish a business.

Maria became Curtius's assistant - she managed his affairs, helped with organizing exhibitions and continued to make sculptures. He appreciated both the help and the girl’s talent for sculptural art, and therefore subsequently bequeathed all his works to her.

Maria Grosholz became famous for her wax figures of famous figures, so much so that she was once invited to model sculptures of members of the royal family themselves. During the advent of the French Revolution, Mary was sentenced to execution, but her chance to escape was to create death masks from murdered royals and take casts of revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre, Marat and others.

A few years later, Marie married Francois Tussaud, a French engineer, and gave birth to two sons, Joseph and Francois. She continued to sculpt and create wax figures of famous people. But one day, having left her husband who became 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 politicians.

This is how the first Madame Tussauds museum appeared, which at that time was traveling exhibition- Maria took her 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 Tussaud passed away, but her business did not disappear thanks to her sons and grandchildren. The museum soon 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 fire, they were restored thanks to the surviving dummies.

The same one famous museum Madame Tussaud's wax figures, which are mainly referred to, are still in London. The museum's exhibition usually includes about four hundred wax figures.

The popularity of this place is so great that every time people gather before the entrance huge queues those who want to see the creations of the Tussaud dynasty. Many of the sculptures housed 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 greets viewers who enter the museum building. Its author is Madame Tussaud herself, who decided to create her own self-portrait during her lifetime.

All exhibits in the collection are divided into thematic rooms. “World Arena” is the name of the largest of these halls, which houses wax figures of famous personalities from the field of history, culture and politics from different centuries.

Visitors will also see figures from the royal family there, including Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton, brother Harry and others. Politicians of the 20th and 21st centuries are also collected here: visitors will see Indira Gandhi, Barack Obama, and many other political figures.

Separate rooms are dedicated to sports stars, musical world, Hollywood and even Indian Bollywood. Visitors are simply amazed by 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 housed there - fortunately it’s all made of wax. Unstable psyche, pregnancy and age under twelve are restrictions for visiting this room of fear.

Though main museum Madame Tussauds is located in London, as is the workshop where each figure is created, and nineteen branches of the museum have been created in nineteen cities around the world. The most famous and interesting branches of Tussauds opened in Berlin, New York and Amsterdam. Each of them contains unique sculptures, but celebrities may be repeated.

Madame Tussauds gives celebrities immortality in the form of wax figures, but some even experience a kind of regeneration. If a celebrity gets a tattoo or changes his hairstyle, then the artists can add or change this to an existing sculpture, introducing new elements, but most often the wax figure of the celebrity is completely created anew.

This is due to the fact that, unlike wax sculptures, living people tend to change over time or due to plastic surgery. For example, the figure of singer Kylie Minogue changed four times, and the wax figure of Michael Jackson, according to known reasons- thirteen times.

How wax figures are created

All visitors who come to Madame Tussauds wax museum are struck by the resemblance of the sculptures to celebrities. In particularly successful cases, the celebrity in the photo cannot be distinguished from a wax double. But not everyone knows what is behind the creation of wax figures in the museum.

• For the production of each wax sculpture leaves great amount time, about three to four months, since 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 for whom they want to make a wax figure. Celebrities have to spend a lot of time in the workshop so that the sculptor collects all the necessary information: what skin and eye color his model has, hairstyle, hair color and shape, does she have moles, scars, tattoos, etc. And in the case when There is no one left alive, the 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 from soft metal.

• Based on the measurements, a clay model of the model is compiled - it must exactly match its real appearance. The frame is then formed using these clay casts.

• After this, it’s time for beeswax - they pour it into wet clay and wait for the figure to harden, which takes about 170 hours. After this, the sculpture is polished, if necessary, and minor imperfections are removed.

• Madame Tussauds takes 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 this, the hairstyle is formed. Working on your hair can take more than a month.

• Next comes the turn of the teeth and eyes: acrylic rubber is used to make them.

• The skin color and “makeup” of the sculpture are created using oil paints.

• The celebrities themselves usually give their own clothes and accessories to the wax figure.

The safety of each figure is monitored very carefully: the sculptures are checked before and after each exhibition day. At the same time, visitors, for example, are not prohibited from hugging a wax double to take a photo.

If you wanted to see with your own eyes what one of the most unusual museums in the world looks like - Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, then watch the following video, in which you can walk through the halls of the museum together with the author of the video: