Mini Israel is a
Miniature parkA miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...
located near
LatrunLatrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
in the Ayalon Valley. Opened in November 2002, the site contains miniature replicas of hundreds of buildings and landmarks in Israel. As of 2007, the
tourist attractionA tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
consists of about 350 miniature models while continuing to expand all on a scale of 1:25.
The permanent exhibition shows the main sites and structures in Israel which are of importance to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
"I will die for the templar cause!" - Female Templar Paladin, Deus Ex: Invisible War.
I, Miko Miyazaki, Paladin of the Sapphire Guard, have come to vanquish you this morning. Rouse yourself from your half-asleep stupor and prepare yourself for battle. In the interest of a fair and proper fight, I demand you be fully awake before we attack. Don't forget to retrieve your weapons from their resting places. - Miko Miyazaki, The Order of the Stick".
You have not eaten your morning meal yet. It would be dishonorable to fight a foe who has not had the chance to load up on carbs. - Miko Miyazaki, The Order of the Stick.
Category:Fictional characters
Mini Israel is a
Miniature parkA miniature park is an open space that displays miniature buildings and models, and is usually open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models...
located near
LatrunLatrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
in the Ayalon Valley. Opened in November 2002, the site contains miniature replicas of hundreds of buildings and landmarks in Israel. As of 2007, the
tourist attractionA tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
consists of about 350 miniature models while continuing to expand all on a scale of 1:25.
The permanent exhibition shows the main sites and structures in Israel which are of importance to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The sites are of historical, archeological, cultural, religious, and ethnic importance dipicting the sites and the ethnic groups associated with them, such as different Muslim cultural groups, Jewish, and Christians living in the country, but also Druze, Beduin and others.
The entire complex covers 6.5
hectometreA hectometre is a somewhat uncommonly used unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundred metres. It derives from the Greek word "ekato", meaning "hundred"....
s. with the models displayed over 3.5 hectometres. The park also includes a souvenir shop, a few restaurants and rest areas and a hall for lectures and meetings in which a film about the creation of the park is displayed.
History
The slogan since its inception has been "See it all - small". The designers, architects and model builder team consisted of over 100 people from all parts of Israeli society and religions, including many new
immigrantsImmigration is the arrival of new individuals into a habitat or population. It is a biological concept and is important in population ecology, differentiated from emigration and migration.-As a political term:...
from the former USSR.
The park was the brainchild of Israeli entrepreneur Eiran Gazit who conceived the idea after visiting the famous miniature town of
MadurodamMadurodam is a miniature city located in Scheveningen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. It is a model of a Dutch town on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks, as are found at various locations in the country. This major Dutch tourist attraction was built in 1952 and has...
in the Netherlands.
The park was created by Gazit and his partners, Yoni Shapira serving as creative and marketing director, Mike Madeson in charge of international projects and Koby Plashkesthe technical director. It was funded mainly by two large investing groups: Granite HaCarmel and Secom of the Shikun Ubinui Group. The park was built on land owned by Kibbutz Nashchon.
The models
The park consists of about 350 buildings and landmarks, 30,000 figures, 500 animals, plants and 15,000 real trees, 4,700 cars, 100 motorbikes, 14 trains, 3 helicopters, 32 aircraft, 175 ships and 230 trucks. All trees are real
bonsai' is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees, or of developing woody or semi-woody plants shaped as trees, by growing them in containers. Cultivation includes techniques for shaping, watering, and repotting in various styles of containers.'Bonsai' is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier...
cultivated and planted by the Agronoy nursery .
The park is loosely shaped like a star of David with each of the six triangles representing an area or city: Jerusalem; Tel Aviv; Haifa; Galil; Negev; Center.
Models were created in workshops spread throughout Israel using sophisticated computerized evaluations, based on research prepared by Mini Israel staff.
Most of the buildings were built in the scale of 1:25. Exceptions represent:
- The Moshav of Nahalal - 1:250
- The Orot Rabin power station - 1:50
- The Walls of Jerusalem and Acre
Acre also Akko, is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel. It is situated on a low promontory at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , Acre had a population of 46,000 at the end of 2007...
were reduced to 1:50 leaving their height at 1:25
- The Menorah in the forecourt of the Knesset - 1:15
All items are either made of
polyurethaneA polyurethane, IUPAC abbreviation PUR, but commonly abbreviated PU, is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links...
or similar
polymerA polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties.Due to the extraordinary...
ic materials or small stones. They were all painted with waterproof paint, so that the items would be resistant to weather conditions. Many of the models include kinetic moving parts such as trains, planes, a soccer game, heavy equipment, boats etc.
External links