DAVID BECKHAM, George Clooney and Danny DeVito are moving to Cyprus.
But before you get too excited, the move won’t be made by the real-life stars themselves but by their wax models.
The location is the Fatsa Wax Museum in the lace-making village of Lefkara, which offers the visitor a historical view of the culture of Cyprus and has now expanded to incorporate an international section, which is due to open shortly.
The museum, which opened in May 2005, has more than 200 sculpted wax models, covering 3,000 years of life in Cyprus, from the Neolithic period to the present day.
At the grand opening, the museum’s owner and General Manager, Pambos Nicolaides, told the Mail: “I see this as a shining pearl of Cyprus’ cultural inheritance and a valid point of reference and remembrance of the intricacies of Cyprus history.”
He said he was inspired by a visit to London’s Madame Tussauds and told a friend that he would one day open a similar museum on the island.
Yesterday, Nicolaides explained that the international section will also feature, among others, the Beatles, Peter The Great and, “Superman and Batman for the children.”
He added that many visitors to the museum are non-Cypriots, “so I thought it would be a good idea for them to see things and people that they can relate to.”
According to Nicolaides, the new section will be made up of around 80 to 90 models, with some even wearing original clothes, which have been ordered from Walt Disney.
Inside Fatsa, visitors pass through a parade of Cypriot politicians, led by the first President, Archbishop Makarios, and his successors Spyros Kyprianou, George Vassiliou, Glafcos Clerides, and Tassos Papadopoulos.
Alongside them in a series of tableaux depicting golden or dramatic moments of Hellenic life are St Helen, mother of Constantine the Great, and her husband the Emperor Constantinos Chlorus, Archbishop Kyprianos, legendary hero of the Greek resistance against the Ottomans who was hanged in 1821, General Grivas, leader of the independence fight against the British in the 1950s but also of the notorious EOKA B that paved the way for the 1974 coup. There are also depictions of village life of days gone by and a wax reproduction of a traditional Cyprus country wedding.
There are eight themed segments, marking a chronological review of the island’s historical, cultural and political past, when the island was constantly in the footsteps of the conquerors of this strategic prize.
His museum, Nicolaides asserted, will remind present and future generations of the problems that were faced and overcome by Cypriots throughout history, as they provided a series of ideals for their country.
“The museum has been a great success and I am now thinking of expanding in Cyprus and maybe abroad,” he said.
For further information, telephone: 24-621 048
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