Grand Maket Rossiya, St. Petersburg

 Photo by Grandmaket, CC BY-SA 3.0, on Wikipedia

Grand Maket Rossiya

‘Wide is my motherland, of her many forests, fields, and rivers! I know of no other country where a man can breathe so freely…’ goes the famous, patriotic Soviet song. Russia may have shrunk since the days of the USSR – now only occupying one-eighth, not one-sixth, of the world’s landmass. Yet its vast landscape stretching from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, encompassing gilded palaces and endless forests, and home to nearly 200 ethnic groups, continues to captivate the world.

The best way to see Russia is on the Trans-Siberian Railway – but not all of us have the time (or the stamina) for such an expedition. If only there was a way to take in all of Russia’s riches in one room. You’re in luck: Grand Maket Rossiya is an award-winning national museum filled with a 1:87 model of the highlights of the world’s biggest country.

According to Grand Maket’s creator, businessman Sergei Morozov, people have scant knowledge of the diverse culture and nature of Russia. Even Russians themselves don’t know much about their native land, and for those living in the metropolises of western Russia it is easier (and often cheaper) to explore Europe than journey to the scattered corners of the country. Morozov wanted to stir up people’s interests and so he oversaw the construction of the Grand Maket. It is the second-largest model in the world, painstakingly crafted over five years by 100 specialists who used 11 tons of plaster to create the landscape of mini-Russia. The work was so complex that it took one specialist one whole month to build one square metre.

Photo by Benjamín Núñez González, CC BY-SA 4.0, on Wikipedia

What can you see at the Grand Maket Rossiya?

In just a couple of hours visitors can travel through every corner of Russia: from Kaliningrad and St Petersburg to Siberia and the Far East; from the Arctic to Southern Russia; from the Urals to the Caspian Sea. Although the model is not geographically accurate, it is meant to represent the sheer variety of Russia’s landscape all under one roof – the vineyards, seashores and towering mountain peaks of the south, the wild forests and rivers of Siberia, and the oil fields of the far north.

Natural wonders are interspersed with grand theatres, neon-lit theme parks and snow-encrusted winter sports arenas, and visitors can even get a crash course in Russian architecture throughout the ages – the ancient wooden churches of Kizhi in north-western Russia, Moscow’s medieval Kremlin spire, St Petersburg’s Classical palaces, tiny wooden dachas, and Soviet apartment blocks dotted with children’s playgrounds.

The Grand Maket is especially interesting as it provides a snapshot of everyday life in Russia. Tourists in Russia are familiar with the famous sights – the Kremlin, Winter Palace, onion-domed churches – but here they can get a different glimpse into the country, as 100,000 tiny figurines show how Russian people work, live and relax every day. Keep an eye out for people hunting for mushrooms, going ice swimming, gardening at their dachas, and even attending a political meeting. As the models are not protected by a glass screen, visitors can lean in close to spot the tiny details. It is also possible to rent binoculars to explore the characters and scenery of the Grand Maket.

Photo by Grandmaket, CC BY-SA 3.0, on Wikipedia

Each section of the Grand Maket is connected by a 2.5km-long model railway along which more than 200 locomotives pull their carriages. Reminiscent of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the model train crosses the country from St Petersburg to Vladivostok in 18 minutes (rather than the 7-day journey from Moscow to the Far East!) Cars and buses powered by electromagnets move realistically around the model, stopping at traffic lights and overtaking each other.

Visitors can watch night fall across Russia, adding another level of wonder to the Grand Maket Rossiya. Every 13 minutes the 800,000 LED lights illuminating the model ripple from day to night across the time zones of Russia.

Photo by Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, on Wikipedia

What’s nearby?

Grand Maket is located several kilometres from St Petersburg’s historical centre, in the Soviet district of Moskovsky. After visiting the Grand Maket you can head to Moskovsky Prospekt (constructed as the Nevsky Prospekt of Leningrad) and admire the grand Stalinist Empire architecture. Then, catch the metro to Park Pobedy, visit one of the many cafes or restaurants in the area, admire the Russian National Library and visit Moskovsky Victory Park – one of the best parks in the city where you can explore the rich gardens and rent a boat on the lake. It is a 15-minute metro ride from Park Pobedy back to the historical centre.