- Address: Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel;
- Opening date: 2002;
- Website: minisrael.co.il;
- Phone: +972 1-700-559-559
- Working time: вс.-чт. - 17.00-22.00, Fri. - 10.00-14.00, Sat. - 17.00-22.00.
In the valley of the river Ayalon, near Latrun, there is an interesting park of miniatures. This place is very popular among Israelis and tourists alike. "Mini Israel" is a park, which is a large territory on which mockups of the most popular historical sights of the country are installed. So, on one piece of land you can see almost all miniature copies of real buildings. The park is a 15-minute drive from Ben Gurion Airport .
"Mini Israel" Park - history of erection
The park was opened in 2002, for today in its exposition there are more than 350 exhibits executed on a scale of 1:25. A group of designers, architects, builders, many of whom are repatriates from the former USSR, are working on the creation of the park. The idea of the construction of such a park of miniatures was born in the entrepreneur Eiran Gazita in 1986, but it became possible to realize it only in 1994. The main funding for the construction was assumed by the Ministry of Tourism of Israel . During the first year after the opening of the park, it was visited by about 350,000 people, mostly citizens of Israel. But the rumor about this amazing place spread very quickly around the world, thanks to advertising and those who visited it.
Mini Israel Park - description
Exposition of the park "Mini-Israel" represents the main historical buildings, which are of great value for the world's leading religions, as well as archaeological sites and biblical places. All indexes are written in three languages: English, Hebrew and Arabic. The territory of the park is spread over 15 hectares of land, most of it is occupied by models of buildings and the adjacent landscape in miniature.
Between the objects there are paths along which visitors can move comfortably. At the entrance to the park there is a souvenir shop, a cafe, a lecture hall where large groups can order a documentary film about the history of the country. For the convenience of visitors, electric cars are rented for rent.
In addition to the mock-ups of buildings in the park, there are mock-ups of animals and birds inhabiting the territory of Israel, there are about 500 of them, as well as about 15,000 miniature trees and shrubs, people representing various denominations and nationalities inhabiting the country. Among other things, mock-ups of city buildings use miniatures of public transport, trucks, ships and trains, as well as moving figures of football players in the stadium.
If you consider the park "Mini Israel" in the photo, you can see that its territory is planned as a six-pointed star of David, a symbol of the state. Each of the six star-shaped rays in the form of a triangle represents one of the regions or a major city in Israel. There are Tel Aviv , Jerusalem , Galilee, Haifa , Negev and the central part of the country.
All models of buildings, structures and landscapes were created in different workshops located throughout the country. The main material from which the miniatures were created is acrylic and polyurethane, the landscape was created with the help of various small stones covered with a waterproof coating. In the park "Mini Israel" there are also necessary moving elements - transport. The state of moving artifacts is constantly monitored by technicians who provide constant care for these elements of the general mini-infrastructure of the park.
Mini Israel Park operates from Sunday to Thursday until 22.00, on Friday and on Saturday until 2.00. For large groups of tourists, a round-the-clock visit is possible.
How to get there?
You can reach the park either by public transport, following the motorway No.424, or by car from any major city.