Wax Figures Museum 
Address: 29, Pobedy Ave., Kiev
Phone: +38 (044) 353-47 - 41; 067 443-11-47
Opening Hours: 10.00-19.00
Opened daily.
The Museum of Wax Figures was opened again on the 4 of March, 2010. 63 figures of collection “live” in the area of more than 200 meters. They had to huddle in smaller space, so it was not possible to show the whole collection. By now wax characters have been classified by general subjects in a few rooms. Writers with artists (to be more correct with their characters) live in one hall, in the second - historical personalities of Ukraine, in the third hall there are leaders and rulers from Nikolay the II to Yanukovich, in the forth foreign and Russian film and pop “stars» are situated and in the fifth hall – Ukrainian “stars”.
Museum was founded in 2000 though first figures appeared earlier under temporary exhibitions. The figures were made in different ways and turned out different. In one case “heroes” posed and checked the work, in other they presented their pictures, in the third case postmortem masks were used, in the forth case stop frames from films and performances (mostly with foreign heroes) were used. The figures appeared quite different, some of them are associated with other characters, for example Vladimir Vysotskiy is associated with Anatoliy Kashpirovskiy (considering the same hairstyles), and Victor Yanukovich is associated with Joseph Kobzon (they have only difference in height, the present President has Grenadier height– 192 cm).
Other figures, on the contrary, amaze with accurate identity with the character. These are Evgeniy Leonov, Zinoviy Gerdt in the unforgettable role of Panikovskiy, Margarita Krinitsina as Pronya Prokopovna, and our contemporaries: Dmitriy Gordon, Yana Klochkova, Mykola Veresen. Gymnast Liliya Podkopaeva agreed to give gypsum mask for making her wax figure, which is not a pleasant procedure. But then she loved it so much, that even presented her gym suit, which she put on her twin. One of the first dresses of Verka Serdyuchka was sacrificed by Andrey Danylko. Leonid Kravchuk presented glasses to his “colleague”, Victor Yanukovich gave a whole suit. Andrey Mironov, whose figure was approved by his mother, is dressed in his scenic suit from “Figaro” performance, which was the last one in the artist’s life.
In the museum you understand how legendary persons looked for their contemporaries. Stalin was only 163 cm high and Pushkin - 158 cm. Victor Tsoy wasn’t of “middle Korean” height, that’s why Andrey Makarevich looks lost against him. So there is freedom for those, who like comparing, photographing and making historical characters and contemporary idols closer and more understandable for themselves.
The technology of making wax figures, presented in the museum, is of the highest level. The real hair, dental and eye prosthesis – they try to be closer to the original. So color of eyes and hair (if there is reliable information) are complied with. For museum workers the figures are almost like alive. Their heads are washed by shampoo and workers style their hair with a hairdryer, clear their suits, and “treat” characters from time to time, repairing attackable parts, primarily fingers. The wax for figures is 95% clear apian, delivered from Chernigivshchina and Sumshchina, mixed with special composition, which allow enduring wide temperature differences. Most figures are made on base of plastic; only visible parts of body are from wax –6-8 kilos of wax is needed for an average figure, They are made by group of masters during several months.
So, who can we see here, besides the above mentioned characters? These are: S. Esenin, M. Bulgakov, N. Gogol, T. Shevchenko, M. Grushevskiy, B. Khmelnitskiy, I. Mazepa, Princes Vladimir and Yaroslav, Princess Olga, unforgettable triplet “Trus-Balbes-Bivaliy”, Andrey Shevchenko, V. Lobanovskiy, N. Khrushchev, L. Brezhnev, M. Gorbachev, L. Kuchma, V. Yushchenko and Y. Timoshenko, Britney Spears (the most valuable woman of the museum, made of 20 kg of wax, because she is in an open dress), also L. Utesov, L. Gurchenko, A. Schwarzenegger, Leonardo Di Caprio, etc. Some figures are restored from time to time.
