The story of "Madame Tussauds" .. From the palace to the wax museum

Sarah Jamal - London

If you have not met celebrities before, your first encounter may be at a Madame Tussauds museum, one of the most famous wax museums in the world, where the present meets history and leaders with artists, scientists and athletes.

The famous chain of museums has branches in many parts of the world such as Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, Berlin, Istanbul and Dubai, but the headquarters and oldest in London are on the famous Melbourne Street.

The wax museum is not an ordinary event in the tourist program for visitors to the British capital. The museum is one of the most important places and tourist attractions where tourists come to take pictures of the memorials next to the statues of celebrities as if they had actually encountered it, for the craftsmanship and meticulous anatomical accuracy in the details of each character embodied in the image of wax , But who is Madame Tussauds the most famous wax museum in the world?

A painful and inspiring life
She was born in Strasbourg, France, and her mother moved to Berne, Switzerland to work with the physician and sculptor Philip Kurtz, who worked for the first time in France. A scientist in anatomy and physics and waxed wax carving.

Kurtz became the inspiring teacher of the little Mary, until he became known as Philippe, and from there she learned the art of sculpture and anatomy. But a few years later, the doctor moved to Paris leaving her mother and mother in Berne. Kurtz succeeded in presenting his works of wax statues to the nobles. He soon brought Mary and her mother to Paris. Once again the young girl enters the palaces for the first time in her life and the situation changes.

Mary mastered the art of wax sculpture to make the first wax statue of the French writer and philosopher Voltaire in 1777.

She continued to have this hobby until she created exhibitions of wax statues of famous figures herself, such as the writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and moved throughout Europe. She became close to the palace for several years and even learned the sculpture of the French king Louis XVI.

Mary was married to François Tussaud in 1795 and took the title of her husband's family to become Marie Toussou. She had two children, Joseph and Francois. In 1802, Joseph moved to London to display her wax work, but the war prevented her from returning to France.

In 1835 Mary established a permanent wax museum on Baker Street in London and, until she died in 1850, gave the world a huge collection of wax sculptures, and then its famous museums, with its most famous personalities, were dedicated to their commemoration.

Tour history and present
Perhaps Madame Tussauds never imagined that her museums would include so many celebrities of art, politics and sport, whose artistic collections were limited to nobles, rulers and philosophers.

Visitors flock most days of the week to the huge building with its large green dome, especially on holidays, although the cost of the ticket is relatively high. The visit begins with a large square of Hollywood stars, Hollywood stars and other famous public figures, such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and his black jacket and band. Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and James Bond.

Hollywood stars occupy a large area of ​​the museum alongside sports celebrities such as the legend of Brazilian football Pele and his compatriot Ronaldiho, boxer Mohammed Ali Clay, David Beckham and Jackie Robinson.

Visitors here are particularly keen to visit the hall dedicated to the statues of the British royal family such as King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria, along with Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince William and his wife Duchess Kate Middleton. Then the singing square where you can share Michael Jackson singing.

In a few minutes you will find yourself integrated with celebrities, taking the place of the American president in his Oval Office, and taking pictures with late Arab leaders such as King Hussein, Anwar Sadat and Saddam Hussein.

It also houses a horror room that children are not allowed to enter because it depicts harsh forms of crime during the French Revolution in a frighteningly realistic fashion.

Children have a lot of fun. They can see waxy shapes of their favorite characters such as Shrek, Spider Man, the Green Man and Stars of Star Wars.

Before the end of the visit, you can enjoy a special tour of London's famous taxi simulation model, where you can travel through a series of pictures displayed across the streets of different ages, and without feeling you will find yourself thankful and grateful to Madame Tussauds for that exciting journey in the world of wax.