April 11, 2021

The World's Largest Country, Made Tiny


The World's Largest Country, Made Tiny
A visitor's-eye view of central St. Petersburg, complete with Scarlet Sails. Griffin Edwards

Only got a few days in St. Petersburg, but want to see the whole of Russia in only a couple hours? Grand Maket Rossiya has you covered.

A nondescript yellow building from the 1950s, not far from the memorial to the Siege of Leningrad, houses the largest model layout ("maket") in Russia, and the second-largest in the world. Complete with moving trucks, rolling trains, and even hang gliders and skiers, the display stretches the entire second floor. In total, it's 8600 square feet in size— bigger than most Russian apartments— and is built in HO model railroading scale, 1:87.

Sochi's Winter Olympic facilities at nighttime, as recreated in the maket. | Griffin Edwards

All of Russia is recreated here. In one corner is Kaliningrad, the East Prussian enclave; next, St. Petersburg, Russia's gate to the West; next, Moscow, complete with tourists; then Siberia (including Lake Baikal). The other side of the room ends in Russia's Far East.

To add to the illusion, the display has its own day / night cycle, to simulate real-life Russia's spanning eleven time zones. LED lights in the ceiling change color from day to night every 13 minutes ("nights" last two minutes, so summertime visitors to St. Petersburg will feel right at home). Even as one side of the layout is sunny, the other might be shrouded in twilight or night, gradually shifting as the faux-sun rises or sets.

Maket-ception: a view of Grand Maket Rossiya inside Grand Maket Rossiya, with an optimistic line of visitors waiting to check it out. Note the Sapsan high-speed train in the background, departing St. Petersburg for Moscow. | Griffin Edwards

While some details are lacking – city centers are condensed, the Kremlin is relegated to a single tower, Siberia feels a little too full of human life – others are meticulously recreated and help bring the layout close to life. Bears intrude on campers, a TV news crew reports on crop circles, a tiny metro connects little Moscow and St. Petersburg stations. It is obvious that the creators put a lot of hard work and passion into telling tiny plastic stories. At one point, a sign proudly relates, "There are 39,260 sunflowers in this field." We did not verify that claim, but will accept it as true.

The display isn't without humor, either; the creators are happy to throw in a couple laughs. Take this scene, showing a domestic disagreement:

We're dying to know what the story is here. Seems juicy. | Griffin Edwards

Possibly the best part of Grand Maket Rossiya is that it's so delightfully self-aware. This is a portrayal of Russia by Russians, and sometimes that means they can poke fun at themselves in surprising ways.

For instance, this boat carrying scantily-clad women and a pudgy older man, sipping champagne:

Putin's palace is still missing, but at least we get this yacht. | Griffin Edwards

There's a surprising amount of lampooning self-deprecation on display, making fun of Russian habits, history, and even government attitudes. One of Russia's ubiquitous hovercraft hangs out near a permafrost-encrusted mammoth; brutalist hammer-and-sickles welcome visitors to tiny factories; and a cutaway of a submarine is captioned with an impossible order: "Don't look! Secret!"

There's also this tiny protest, where tiny citizens hold up signs in both English and Russian asking visitors to keep their hands to themselves:

We know it's tempting, but please don't touch. | Griffin Edwards

Whether this is a tongue-in-cheek send-up of protestors or police (or both), we're not sure, but it's cool to see a nod towards Russia's growing civil engagement.

Of course, in the end, the display is a patriotic and proud showcase of Russia's land, cities, and people. Military hardware like tanks and planes are front and center, balloons sport the Russian flag, and there's even a little Victory Day billboard calling us to remember the struggles of 1941-1945:

Don't forget about Victory Day as you enjoy looking at trains. | Griffin Edwards

While there's plenty on offer for "train people," the tiny stories on display showcase some of the oddities and inconsistencies of life in Russia. For anyone looking to get a sense of what the diverse array of Russia's rich lands are like, it's worth a stop. For those looking to get a sense of what some Russians think about themselves, it's a must-see, at least once we're free to travel again.

After all, we're in the Grand Maket, too:

Hi, Mom! | Griffin Edwards

 

You Might Also Like

17 Petersburg Places
  • September 01, 2017

17 Petersburg Places

Revolutions, including that Great October one, are not a popular topic in Russia today. Nonetheless, we take a photo feature look at how 1917 shaped Russia’s northern capital.
An Ode to the Hovercraft
  • February 14, 2021

An Ode to the Hovercraft

Russia is a land of many mysteries. The greatest of all, of course, is this: What's the deal with Russians and their hovercraft?
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955