Kitsch is one of those words that is bandied about a little too freely. It has gone from being a word used to describe tasteless or overly sentimental “art” to becoming a label slapped on everything from stripper pens to pop art tissue boxes. Cheese on the other hand is, in my opinion, a much better word for describing these things. Pieces of work created with the complete understanding of their lameness are cheesy. The cheesy grin your sibling puts on in all your family photos is a great example.
When Martine and Marion took me into Madurodam the first word that popped into my head was cheese. The place seemed to be the biggest, cheesiest place I had ever come across. Opened in 1952 Madurodam is named after a Dutch war hero. It is a collection of models showing the major highlights of Holland in 1:25 scale. I looked down over the minature representation of Holland that spread before me and I could practically smell the mature cheddar that lay in wait. But then something magical happened. I fell in love with the place.
The closer you look in Madurodam the more you see. The detail that goes into every inch of the place is exquisite. Each building is absurdly detailed, right down to individual bricks. Trains run around and through the miniature country side constantly. Cars drive around tiny streets. Little figures engage in imagined arguments and ogle hookers in the itsy-bitsy red light district.
We spent hours wandering the park, finding new things to look at with every turn. I still marvel at the detail put into the buildings. If you didn’t know better, looking at some of my photos you would think I was standing in the streets taking photos of real places around Holland. Seeing them in real life just validates their accuracy. Check out my photo of the Peace Palace from my first day in Holland, and compare it to the shot of the miniature.
If you’re in De Haage, check out Madurodam. As I put in their guestbook, it’s: “The most fun you can have in Holland with your pants on!”
LOVE IT!!!!
April 28th, 2009 at 9:45 pmReminds me of the minature town in the movie HotFuzz except this is much bigger
April 29th, 2009 at 11:41 am