MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX MUSEUM

Opened in London in 1884, Madame Tussauds Museum displays worldwide celebrities made out of wax, making it the most famous museum due to its quality and innovation.

London´s Madame Tussauds has branched out to different cities like Amsterdam, Bangkok, Berlin, Blackpool, Hollywood, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, New York, Shanghai, Washington and Vienna.

ORIGINS OF THE MUSEUM

The sculptor Marie Tussaud organized her first wax exhibition in London in 1835, charging six pennies for the admissions ticket. It became a huge success, and in 1884 the museum was moved to the building that currently houses the wax figures.

EXHIBITIONS

The museum houses different exhibitions divided in several categories. These are some of our favourite parts:

·         VIP Party: A party is held in the first hall of the museum and the guests are celebrities like Morgan Freeman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie.

·         Sport’s Area: Here you’ll find some of the best sports men and women like Tiger Woods and Mohammed Ali.

·         Date with the Royal Family: It is possible to spend some quality time with the British Royal Family in this area. Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and other members of the family are closer than they've ever been with the public.

·         Culture: This area is dedicated to the greatest minds of all time like William Shakespeare, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Pablo Picasso and Charles Darwin, among others.       

·         World Leaders: It was never easier to get all the world leaders together. In this area you’ll find Barack Obama, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Nicolas Sarkozy, Ronald Reagan, Tony Blair and Martin Luther King.

·         Chamber of Horrors: This is where several live actors terrorize the visitors.

·         The Spirit of London: In one of the museum’s taxis it is possible to relive London’s past.

·         Marvel’s superheroes in 4D: Some of the most famous superheroes join forces to fight against evil in an entertaining 4D film.

ALWAYS CROWDED

In spite of being expensive, Madame Tussauds is one of the most-visited museums in London and it is always brimming with visitors at all hours of the day. To avoid the crowds we recommend getting there as soon as possible or at lunchtime. You can purchase the tickets on website by following the following link:

WHO IS MADAME TUSSAUD? 

Millions and millions of people have flocked through the doors of Madame Tussauds since they first opened over 200 years ago and it remains just as popular as it ever was. There are many reasons for this enduring success, but at the heart of it all is good, old-fashioned curiosity.

THE MAKING OF A STAR

1761 Madame Tussaud is born Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg.

1777 Marie models the famous author and philosopher, Francois Voltaire.

1780 Marie becomes art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister and goes to live at the Royal Court in Versailles.

1789 On the eve of The French Revolution, Marie returns to Paris.

1793 Marie is imprisoned with her mother in the notorious Laforce   Prison,Paris. On her release she is forced to prove her allegiance to the Revolution by making death masks of executed nobles and her former employers, the King and Queen.

1794 The French Revolution ends and Marie inherits Dr Philippe Curtius’ wax exhibition.

1795 Marie marries François Tussaud.

BRINGING HISTORY TO BRITAIN

1802 Madame Tussaud takes her exhibition on tour to the British Isles, leaving behind her husband.

1835 With her sons, Madame Tussaud establishes a base in London at ‘The Baker Street Bazaar.’

1846 Punch Magazine coins the name Chamber Of Horrors for Madame Tussaud’s ‘Separate Room’, where gruesome relics of the French Revolution are displayed.

1850 Madame Tussaud dies.

 A HISTORIC ATTRACTION IS BORN

1884 Marie’s grandsons move the attraction to its current site on Marylebone Road.

1925 The attraction is devastated by fire.

1928 Restoration is completed with the addition of a cinema and restaurant.

1940 Madame Tussauds is struck by a German World War II bomb destroying 352 head moulds, and the cinema.

Exercise1: Plan a trip to Madame Tussauds Museum. Find information about location, price and schedule on the official website.

Exercise2: From the text choose 7 sentences you consider to be important.

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