Palace Square Wax Museum. Wax museum ALEX SHOW. Hall of “freaks” and erotica

Museum wax figures in St. Petersburg is a great place for anyone who wants not only to have a good time, but also to learn something new about historical figures and celebrities. The figures in the museum are made with incredible realism: even when visitors are nearby, they are left with the feeling that the wax statues are alive.

For the first time, wax figures began to be made in Italy, and they were created not for entertainment, but for memorial purposes: representatives of the aristocracy preserved the memory of deceased relatives in this way.

In the 18th century, the first wax exhibition took place in Europe, after which museums began to appear throughout the continent.

In St. Petersburg, the Wax Museum opened in 1996 on the basis of the Alex art studio, the largest manufacturer of wax sculptures. The institution is located in the historical center of the city - on Nevsky Prospekt. In the museum, tourists will see more than 1000 figures, divided into several large exhibitions.

Exhibits at the Wax Museum

Politicians and statesmen

The exhibition “Russia and Power” is the oldest section of the museum. Here are exhibits from which the history of the cultural institution began: wax figures of Peter I, Ivan the Terrible, Alexandra III, Catherine II, Nicholas II, Alexander II, Fidel Castro, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Adolf Hitler, Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton. Later, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, former boxer and State Duma deputy Nikolai Valuev were added to the political pantheon.

Historical characters

In the hall of historical characters, tourists will find wax figures of Caesar, Cleopatra, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Alexander the Great. Arouse great interest among guests sculptural compositions“Ivan the Terrible kills his son”, “Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna”, “Yalta Conference”, “Prince Vladimir and Olga”, “The Crowned Family”. Here visitors will see the figures of A. Pushkin, Columbus, G. Rasputin, P. Stolypin, Genghis Khan and many others.

Celebrities

Guests of the Museum love to take pictures with the characters of this exhibition - Placido Domingo, Salvador Dali, Charlie Chaplin, J-I. Cousteau, Freddie Mercury, F. Kirkorov, V. Syutkin and others. The superbly executed figures of Leo Tolstoy, Anna Akhmatova, and Goethe are of great interest. Not a single visitor leaves without a photo with the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe and Robert De Niro.

Fairy tale and fantasy characters

The exhibition of mythological characters, cartoon characters, books and films in the fantasy genre is in great demand among children. There are hundreds of figures in this department. These are hobbits, elves, trolls, werewolves, characters from The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates Caribbean Sea", "Star Wars", "Shrek", "Avatar", American comics and Soviet cartoons. The guys are ready to explore the exhibition for hours: no one will refuse to take a photo with Harry, Ron and Hermione or with Jack Sparrow.

Bible Characters

The biblical section of the Wax Museum presents three sculptural compositions: “Apostles”, “ Last Supper" and "The Descent of Jesus from the Cross."

Torture room and erotic room

These two exhibitions can only be visited by adult tourists. In the torture hall, guests will learn how people were tortured in the Mayan Empire, ancient Egypt, Medieval Europe. The horrors of the Inquisition make your blood run cold.

The erotic hall features original figures of half-naked women from different eras.

Kunstkamera

A wax embodiment of the most famous St. Petersburg museum - the Kunstkamera. Tourists will see wax copies of hunchbacks, Siamese twins, and five-eyed people. On the one hand, the guests feel dumbfounded, on the other hand, they feel sorry for the unfortunate freaks.

A tour of the museum is accompanied by theatrical and light-noise effects. Many figures move, causing fear in the guests, and then - bouts of laughter.

A visit to the Wax Museum is a great way to spend time in St. Petersburg.

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Interesting wax figures and personalities, low ticket prices, unlimited visiting and filming time, a lot of impressions

Flaws

Small room cramped

Details

There are several such museums in St. Petersburg, the one we ended up in is located in the city center at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and Bolshaya Morskoy Street 6 near Palace Square (Hermitage) and that’s where I would advise you to go. The cost of visiting per person is 250 rubles, if according to the flyer that is distributed at every step in the center and, in principle, everywhere, then the ticket price will be 200 rubles, children under 6 years old are free. There is something to see in the museum we went to, there were 5 viewing rooms, these are actors, stars, athletes, politicians, writers, a hall of ugliness and an erotic hall. This is the largest and most extensive wax museum in St. Petersburg in terms of the number of personalities represented there. All the exhibits that are presented in the museum are almost identical to those from which they were made. The museum has a special setting for the full depth of sensations from the wax figures, with special lighting on display. Near each figure there is detailed information what kind of personality is this and his a little story. Some characters were even too believable and a little scary, especially if you get very close and look into their eyes like real ones. I couldn’t help but think that now one of the characters I approached was moving or moving somehow uneasy from such a thought.

Since the museum is located in the city center, there is a very large number of excursions with children, tourists and local residents enough. Real professionals in their field create all the characters. They paint, dress, sew costumes and do everything so that their work is appreciated.

Touching the figures is prohibited so as not to damage the exhibits. Look, admire, take pictures, but don't touch.

You can look at some figures for quite a long time, penetrating very interesting and ringing information into the character. I didn’t regret for a second that I paid for it, it’s definitely worth the money.

The first time I saw him, I felt a little uneasy, I thought he was about to move, his eyes were very realistic.

The visiting time is not limited, you can walk and look as much as you want, the same applies to photo and video shooting, even with or without flash, almost everything is allowed.

Our favorite cartoon characters from childhood. I was a little surprised when I saw them.

The room itself is not very large in this particular museum, so all the figures stand very close to each other, the feeling of crampedness, especially when there are a lot of people in the museum, it becomes awkward when walking from room to room, you have to squeeze through.

To see and walk around the entire museum it will take about 20-30 minutes if you don’t pay too much attention, but just look and leave. But if you are really interested in touching the story and these characters, then 30 minutes is not enough, you need to read and look at every detail around.

Not all figures and personalities are of course similar, some looked somehow thin or young, and you can’t immediately understand who is in front of you unless, of course, you read the description.

Looks alive.

Of course, the presence of some personalities was also very surprising, but it was interesting to look, of course, not only at what we already know from history books, but also about modern characters. This is definitely the merit of those who made and decided to display such figures in order to diversify and expand the audience of viewers and people of all ages. Showing that they can not only make old and historical characters, but also modern artists, cinematographers, actors, athletes, etc.

About 150 characters are on display from different eras.

A good place to visit with the whole family. Tell and show children about history. They will also not be bored because they will find characters familiar to them.

At first I didn’t understand what was in front of me, but then I saw that Joseph Vissarionovich was holding in his hand, Hitler’s skin was a very interesting idea and the figure turned out.

The Prime Minister of Russia and the President of Russia turned out to be a little thin and young, but they are very similar.

The figures are very well executed, nothing to complain about, but the very cramped room is probably the smallest of all there is.

Some of the characters presented in this room scared me, a little uneasy but very interesting.

All this is not fictional, but it was really something like a transfer of my terrible story or body anomalies, all these figures are frightening and arouse great interest from both children and adults.

Initially, the mention of this hall aroused my interest and desire to visit this wax museum.

Oddly enough, some of these people still live today.

Well, the last room is the room of erotica, I didn’t see any particularly interesting figures there and that’s why I didn’t take pictures of them, considering them not appropriate for a review, but the lack of them was interesting. Only people over 18 years old are allowed into this hall; for everyone else it is simply closed.

Here are just a few photos of the most decent ones that I can show the rest in the nude.

Well, there is the same entrance and there is only one exit, so there was something to see.

This museum is definitely worth a visit as there is a lot to see and learn about. It’s not expensive, anyone can afford it, it leaves a lot of good impressions after the visit.

It brought us here to St. Petersburg the other day... But this is worthy of a separate post. And today I’ll tell you about fosque figures.

There are several such museums in St. Petersburg; we were opposite the Winter Museum. We came in solely because Varenik was allowed in for free.
It’s certainly not Madame Tussauds, but it’s quite possible to warm up and spend an entertaining half an hour.

The characters Avatar and Verka Serduchka greet you at the entrance

The figures of the 3 musketeers are seated, and the girl photographer is trying in every possible way to entice you to sit between them and take a photo. I blame professional deformation, like, I’m a photographer on vacation, and you tell me “machines, machines...” In general, in St. Petersburg this excuse works quite well, numerous Crazy Empresses and Sovereign-Emperors are treated with understanding. By the way, it’s indicative that in Moscow it’s entirely Lenins and Stalins who work on Red Square, while in St. Petersburg Peters I, Catherine the Great and crazy zebras from Madagascar (the animals were less intelligent, sometimes you had to literally run away from them)).

The figures themselves were not particularly similar to real characters.
Vladimir Vladimirovich, would you like me to give you a sock?!


Oh, who is that in the next room then? Young, almost not bald, clearly from the St. Petersburg period....
We are confused.....

Einstein looks suspiciously like my grandfather, probably just as smart....

And this is Varka’s love at first sight!
Lass mich dich nicht lieben...

Everything is very cramped, we decided that this is what Uncle Stan's closet in Gravity Falls looks like.

Fun corner with a mummy. After the Hermitage it was just right, only, unlike there, you can touch it)

What? Vladimir Vladimirovich, when did you manage to run here?
Wax figures are like that, as soon as you have time to turn away, they are already walking around.

Someone was immediately sacrificed, someone was half-swallowed by a crocodile (probably one of the visitors, while no one had seen, but before they had time, they were set on fire, so now the poor thing is waiting for the night to finish chewing).

Next was a rather dark, cramped room with all sorts of freaks a la the Kunstkamera. She told Varents that there is a museum where all this is not made of plastic/rubber/wax, but the real thing, preserved in alcohol. I thought I’d get together in 3-4 years, but I had to take her on this trip)

Well, for a snack - room 18+. Varenets naturally jumped there first, curiosity overpowered)) What can I say, there is clearly nothing for 18+ people to do there, the hall is designed for puberty teenagers - to laugh and make fun of their hypertrophied tits and genitals. In general, nothing special.

On the way back we talked with a girl photographer and asked what it was like to work with such neighbors. It’s okay, he says, you get used to everything, although the first months were scary, especially on dark evenings, especially during a thunderstorm or on some Night at the Museums... But in general, the neighbors are quiet, they behave well, they don’t bother (yeah, I thought about a crocodile and the legs of a gaping tourist sticking out of its mouth...)

The Wax Museum in St. Petersburg attracts literally all tourists who come to this glorious city on the Neva, created more than 300 years ago by Peter the Great. The Emperor admired the wax figures that were being made in Europe at that time. He brought the first wax exhibit to Russia. Pyotr Alekseevich dreamed of creating a Wax Museum in St. Petersburg. However, it was possible to realize the royal dream only at the end of the 20th century.

Today you can see figures in it that accurately depict famous historical figures, as well as fairy-tale creatures, biblical heroes, etc. Everything in it is so masterfully arranged: the position of the characters and the lighting, that you can mistake the wax figures for living people, which amazes the imagination to the point of goosebumps .

Wax museum in Northern capital will not be able to leave anyone indifferent. Every St. Petersburger who has visited it remembers for a long time the tour through its halls and its wonderful exhibits. They often come back here again and again. After all, it’s not possible to see everything well in one visit. Moreover, new figures are constantly being created. The collections are regularly replenished and enriched with new and fresh wax images.

Visitors are allowed to take pictures with celebrity figures, which the former do with great pleasure and post on their pages on social networks. The museum appeals to all tourists, people of different age groups - from young to old. He enters excursion routes for tourists visiting St. Petersburg. Reviews about the Wax Museum are always full of delight, they recommend it for visiting to their loved ones, it is noted as the most exotic, historical, unusual and inimitable museum that leaves indelible impressions for a lifetime.

History of the creation of wax figures

The so-called wax or originally paraffin art originated in the east. In the 16th century, Eastern sorcerers created small paraffin figurines and used them during their rituals. Then they began to make wax figures in Ancient Rome. Rich and famous people, wanting to leave behind a memory of themselves, they ordered wax sculptures of their figures from the masters for posterity. There is also a known tradition according to which in ancient Rome a cast was taken from the face of the deceased in order to carry his wax image next to the funeral procession.

Almost simultaneously, wax figures began to be made in Ancient Greece. At first, Hellenic craftsmen created wax portraits, masks and statues dedicated to great personalities. Along with this, wax images of gods were created. Over time, the craft improved thanks to talented sculptors who tried to convey as closely as possible all the external features of the prototype sculptures. The resemblance of wax images to real characters was so accurate that this art was very popular among connoisseurs and residents of the Greek islands.

Thus arose a fashion for this type of art, which quickly spread throughout Europe, where the first exhibition with wax figures took place in the 18th century. Then museums with wax exhibits began to open in England, Germany and France. Masters portrayed both deceased and living celebrities. Gradually, the fashion for this wax art came to many countries around the world.

Domestic wax origins

The first wax creation was brought to Russia by Peter I. It was a sculpture of his head, sculpted from wax. During his trip to Europe, Peter the Great really liked the idea of ​​​​wax figures, and he brought back a copy of his own head. It can be considered the first exhibit. Admiring the wax figures he saw in Europe, Peter I hatched the idea of ​​creating a similar museum in Russia, and specifically in its capital.

The Emperor began to invite foreign masters to Russia. IN Once again, returning from Europe, Peter the Great came to St. Petersburg not alone, but with a master - Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who was engaged in architecture and sculpture. Of all the great works of this great sculptor, artist and architect, we know the bust of Peter, which is kept in the Hermitage. His handmade mask of the king, made posthumously.

Unfortunately, wax art was popular only under Peter the Great. During his reign, many figures were created. Basically, only wealthy people ordered wax sculptures of their own images from masters. However, a museum for public viewing of wax figures by residents of the Russian Empire was never created at that time. In subsequent years and centuries, the wax craft began to be forgotten, and worst of all, even the technology for making wax figures was forgotten.

Creation of the Wax Museum in St. Petersburg

Only in the 90s of the last century did they begin to revive this unfairly forgotten art in Russia. This did not happen in Europe. Madame Tussauds in London, created 200 years ago by sculptor Marie Tussaud, has never lost its popularity. And today it is the largest and most famous wax museum in the world, which has branches in 19 cities.

But let's return to our... wax origins, or rather, to their revival in the late 1980s and 1990s. In 1988, in St. Petersburg, craftsmen created the first collection of wax figures using their own developed technology for their production. Everything had to start all over again, and the 1st exhibition of wax figures was held in Peterhof. The opening of the exhibition took place in July 1990. The exhibition featured 19 wax figures. The characters were royalty, as well as prominent personalities of the 18th century.

St. Petersburg Wax Museum today

Now the Wax Museum in St. Petersburg with all its branches has one of the richest collections of exhibits among all wax figure showrooms in Europe. It contains over 1000 storage units. The Museum also boasts the best, delightful, unusual and unique specimens. In addition, new, better and unusual wax figures are constantly “coming out” from his own workshop.

The exhibition branches out thematically, creating a sort of tree of sections. Each of them has a specific focus. "History" has the largest collection of wax figures. This includes a subsection dedicated to the rulers of Russia, from ancient Rus' to the present. Today, viewers can look at great personalities in cozy museum halls: commanders, political figures, outstanding people of the Fatherland and abroad.

Visitors are amazed by the exhibits of amazing beauty, brightness, accuracy, images of famous characters with their usual habits and surroundings. Scenes from the Old and New Testaments appear before your eyes. "Biblical Stories" is also a favorite room in the museum. Even images and scenes from famous paintings by great artists are resurrected. Exhibitions of favorite characters from familiar fairy tales, cartoons, TV series and books are open for children.

"Myths Old and New" attracts lovers of fairy tales, fantasy, and ancient Greek mythology. The prototypes of the anomalous wax figures were people who actually lived at different times and were included in the Guinness Book of Records due to some anomalies. They can be seen in the “Kunstkammer of the Museum of Miracles”, these are the famous Siamese twins, a woman with a pig’s snout instead of a nose, a football player with three legs, a vase woman, etc. In the Museum there are figures of the very best, i.e. the tallest, shortest and fattest person in the world, etc.

Many guests today are attracted by modern personalities, celebrities, actors, singers, those people who can be admired. Their wax counterparts are so identical that you can pass off a selfie as a real photo with one of the celebrities. A visit to the Wax Museum is useful not only for adults who enjoy looking at glossy magazines, but also for children who study history for greater insight and inspiration through authentic images of heroes.

At the very entrance to the Wax Museum in St. Petersburg, guests are greeted by the figures of a security guard in camouflage, a museum employee and two supposedly onlookers. Not surprisingly, there were occasions when visitors greeted, greeted and even extended their hands to shake hands with these wax figures. After all, they look like real people.

Museum regulars and local fans even came up with a name for the wax worker of the museum - San Sanych. The most popular Big hall in the museum, which features historical figures, ranging from statues and busts of ancient rulers to figures of current celebrities. World history is interesting due to the figures of great philosophers, poets, kings, artists, etc. represented in the Museum. The Bible section depicts entire stories. The exhibition “Myths Old and New” attracts both children and adults with its fairy-tale and mythical characters, as well as modern works written in the fantasy style.

The attention of students, future doctors, or brave people is attracted by wax figures made from real people who had various physical anomalies. The Museum has a hall dedicated to the history of torture and executions. In general, in the Wax Museum you can see characters from films and cartoons, heroes of myths and legends, geniuses and pioneers, historical figures and politicians, actors and creative people, Guinness World Records holders and anomalies of the human body. There is a separate room with an erotic exhibition.

Exhibition topics

• Politicians and rulers of our time
• Celebrities
• The artist and his creation
• Parade of phenomena, body disasters, Guinness Book of Records
• The world of fairy tales. Figures for children, cartoon characters
• Art styles, cues and cultural symbols
• Lovers: love stories of all countries and peoples
• Bible stories
• Story
• Executions and torture of the Middle Ages and modern times
• Funny erotica

New technologies for creating wax figures

The Wax Museum in St. Petersburg is proud of its own workshop, where literally masterpieces of wax art are created. It employs professionals, real masters of their craft - sculptors, historians, makers and other specialists. Creating wax figures is a rather long and labor-intensive process. It takes at least six months to make one figure. Museum exhibits are made life-size, taking into account all the smallest details.

The creation process begins with collecting information about the character, what gestures, facial expressions, head turns, etc. are typical for him. Then the parts of the figure are cast. Next, the make-up artist manually creates wrinkles, skin folds, nails, veins and other small details. Real prostheses are used for eyes, and dentures are used for a beautiful smile. Only natural hair is used to create the hairstyle; each hair is implanted with a hot needle. At the end of this very lengthy procedure, the necessary haircut is done. Eyebrows, eyelashes, and beard are created in the same way.

These days, the Wax Museum has stepped much further and forward. Today, his workshop began making exhibits from silicone and plastic. These are durable and wear-resistant figures created using anti-vandal technologies. New technology allows exhibits to be displayed in open space on fresh air. Even wax figures that are made using new technologies are not affected by any weather, nor temperature conditions.

Today, wax, silicone and plastic figures can be displayed under canopies and awnings, in pavilions and on balconies, in open parks and street areas, as well as in small rooms, using compact placement of figures at different levels. The great advantage and enormous attractive force of the Museum are the moving figures. This became possible thanks to the use of electromechanical drives controlled by microcontrollers. Such software allows you to create the “effect of a living person.”

ALEX SHOW is the largest wax museum in Russia, whose branches are located on the Petrograd side of Alexander Park and. The landmark of the main exhibition is the arch of the General Staff.

The ALEX SHOW collection (Bolshaya Morskaya St.) includes about 150 figures dedicated to completely different topics: from ancient Russian rulers and prominent political figures of our time, to biblical subjects and frankly erotic figures.

ALEX SHOW in the midst of St. Petersburg's splendor

Tired of the “pompous” luxury of St. Petersburg, many travelers turn their attention to more “simple” entertainment. ALEX SHOW is one of these moderately educational objects.

In an effort to discover something new, tourists find themselves face to face with famous people who have ever lived on the planet. Perhaps this is the only thing that attracts viewers to such museums...

Expectation and reality

Having crossed the threshold of ALEX SHOW, guests find themselves in front of wide rows of diverse wax figures, the execution of which in some cases leaves much to be desired. Although, the moment of recognition is still present.

Take, for example, the two-meter-tall “avatars” of James Cameron. The only thing they have in common with the famous heroes of the science fiction film of the same name is their gigantic height and blue color. Otherwise, the similarity is very distant (fans of the film will find more than one “blunder” here).

It is worthy of respect that everyone is allowed to take photographs here. Moreover, it is completely free!

But, to get high-quality photos, you will have to stock up on professional equipment (for a regular phone, the lighting here is somewhat dim).

"Wax" exhibition

It should be noted that the exhibition of the ALEX SHOW museum is very impressive. It occupies four halls, divided according to the topics presented in them: ugliness and erotica, writers and politicians, athletes, cinema and pop stars.

And although the efforts of the artists are felt, the impression made by wax copies of famous personalities is somewhat discouraging (especially if there is something to compare with).

A striking example of this is the participants of the Yalta Conference and last representatives The Romanovs, whose wax figures were previously exhibited at the Livadia Palace.

So, in contrast to the educated, aristocratic and unexpectedly soft, respectable “Yalta” Nicholas II, the St. Petersburg prototype from ALEX SHOW, to put it mildly, is not impressive.

The situation is no better with figures:

• the stern, imperious and contented (after the victory over Germany) Stalin, transformed by the gallery artists into a rather repulsive personality, devoid of the charisma inherent in her during life;
• tired, war-weary Churchill (and this is exactly how he is depicted in photographs from the Yalta Conference), reincarnated by the St. Petersburg “sculptors” beyond recognition.

But the exhibition includes very extraordinary personalities who left a bright mark on history:

• the most famous dictator of the 20th century (Sadam Hussein);
• "eternal president" North Korea(Kim Jong Il);
• the charming princess (Lady Diana), who took third place in history among the 100 greatest Britons;
• All-Russian autocrat Catherine the Great, who significantly expanded the borders of the empire;
• His Serene Highness Prince and famous Russian commander (Kutuzov);
• Lenin (aka V.I. Ulyanov) is the main inspirer and organizer of the October Revolution;
• L.I. Brezhnev, who took part in the 1945 Victory Parade;
• the last Secretary General of the USSR and the first President of the Russian Federation.

And this is just the beginning of the list, which also includes famous writers, scientists and artists.

Fictional characters and « star » beau monde

Outrageous pop and film stars also settled here:

• Charlie Chaplin - a legend of silent cinema;
• Marilyn Monroe - singer, actress and model who became a sex symbol of the fifties;
• Freddie Mercury - vocalist of the legendary Queen;
• great comedians - Yuri Nikulin and Pierre Richard;
• famous musketeers - Boyarsky, Smekhov, Smirnitsky and Starygin;
• Anna Semenovich, Verka Serduchka, colorful Tajik Ravshan and many others.

True, the resemblance of most of the representatives of the “star” elite has to be identified by signs, they are so far from the original.

As for the “wax” movie characters, some examples turned out to be extremely realistic (for example, the incredibly strong Obelix - Gerard Depardieu).

But the heroes of the series of novels about “Harry Potter”, the saga “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” can only be identified by well-known signs and characteristic poses.

The wax doubles of Gena, Cheburashka, the Hare, the Wolf and the Star Wars heroes turned out somewhat more successfully.

Hall of “freaks” and erotica

A separate ALEX SHOW room is dedicated to famous freaks, whose figures are not at all similar to the originals. The only thing they have in common is the deformities themselves:

• the amazing flexibility of Alexander Ivanov, who can easily turn his head 180°C;
• the “massive” figure of Buster Simkus, who weighed more than 1.5 tons;
• a pig woman with a snout instead of a nose (Griselle Stevens);
• the “prominent” horn of the rhinoceros man (François Trullu);
• single eye (Robert Rye);
• giant ears (François Peslier);
• Cancer man has claws instead of hands (a whole Stiles dynasty).

The “highlight” of the wax museum is rightfully considered the so-called erotic hall. It is filled with all kinds of genital organs and mammary glands in all their glory... The blatant vulgarity of most of the exhibits is truly amazing!

Among the presented “erotic” mythical characters and imaginary doubles of curvaceous women, one can only put the half-naked Cleopatra on public display.

Like any other alternative museum, ALEX SHOW is quite specific. And it is designed for a “hardened” audience, and not for the fragile psyche of children.