Nine facts you should know before Madame Tussauds opens in Budapest

1.

Madame Tussauds Gallery—which presents life-size wax replicas of celebrities, royal families, and historical figures from around the world—was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussauds, who was born in 1761 in Strasbourg, France.

2.

He was six years old when his mother became the housekeeper of Philip Curtius, a physician who also worked in wax sculptures. Recognizing her talent, he took her on as an apprentice, and at the age of sixteen he was able to create his first independent sculpture, which depicted François Voltaire – it can still be seen in the London unit today. After Curtius died in 1794, Marie inherited a huge collection of wax models, with whom she traveled for 33 years, and then in 1835 He opened his first museum in London.

3.

Creating a Madame Tussauds wax figure today takes four to six months and requires 250-300 photographs of the subject and 500 different measurement data. Subjects have to appear several times in person before the sculptors, including II. Elizabeth was no exception. In the Museum of London, the giant hero Hulk from Marvel is the largest figurine with a height of 4.5 meters, and Tinker Bell from Disney is the smallest wax figure.

4.

In museums, all sculptures are inspected by maintenance teams before opening every day, and if necessary, they wash their hair and freshen their makeup. Sometimes, the clothes worn by the celebrities themselves are chosen and some items are even taken directly from their wardrobes. But the realistic representation doesn’t stop at appearances: Red silk floss is used to create veins in the sculptures’ eyeballs, and veins are simulated with knotted ropes all over the body.

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During the procedure, the wax figures are designed to be 2 percent larger than the final body size, because during the six-month working process (of which The video can also be watched) Wax is constantly melted, although today the raw material is mixed with more modern materials. The sculptures cost an average of $300,000 to produce, and had to be durable to withstand visitors’ embraces and numerous selfies.

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And there are those who refused the honorable invitation to make a statue of him. For example, Mother Teresa did not want to take advantage of this opportunity.

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The second European museum opened in 1972 in Amsterdam, the first American in 1999 in Las Vegas, the first Asian in 2000 in Hong Kong, and the first in the Middle East in 2021 in Dubai. Vienna was the closest we had so far to experiencing Madame Tussauds. For the rights holder, it is important that the building housing the exhibition be in an exclusive location in the city center, where it can be easily found by both domestic and foreign tourists.

8.

It is also important for business The museum chain has grown into a business. After the descendants of Marie Tussauds, the company passed through the hands of several owners. In its most recent history, it was sold to Dubai International Capital in 2005 for approximately $1.5 billion, and then the company was bought by Blackstone Group for $1.9 billion in 2007. It was sold the same year to private investor Nick Leslaw and his investment firm Prestbury in a sale-and-leaseback arrangement. . The company used the sale funds for investment purposes and to pay off some outstanding debts. Since 2007, the operation has been the responsibility of Merlin Entertainment. the It is a UK-based entertainment company It operates many theme parks and attractions around the world, such as the Sea Life network or the Legoland Discovery Centers. In 2019, it was released Lego bought it in part Merlin Entertainment.

9.

the Madame Tussauds Budapest It will be the first attraction of the brand, which will take place in the huge Palazzo Dorottya building in the 5th district. The panopticon will open its doors with 50 Hungarian and international wax figures and their corresponding interactive installations on a date yet to be announced, in the first half of 2023. The local organizing company is Dorottya Experience Kft. , and its largest owner is József Kreinbacher, a construction entrepreneur and champagne manufacturer. Earlier This was stated in a press releasethat the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTÜ) supported the project with HUF 3.1 billion from the Kisfaludy program, which is expected to come to fruition in six to seven years.