Why go
Today's wax figures at Tussauds include historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars, and famous murderers. The first overseas branch of Madame Tussauds was opened in Amsterdam in 1970. In July 2008, Madame Tussauds' Berlin branch became embroiled in controversy when a 41-year-old German man brushed past two guards and decapitated a wax figure depicting Adolf Hitler.
What to look for
- Madame Tussauds sculptures are used on the cover of Rick Wakeman's album The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
- In November 2015, Madame Tussauds announced that it would open a museum in New Delhi in 2017.
- Madame Tussauds features in the film Shanghai Knights (2003).
The full story
Background Marie Tussaud was born as Marie Grosholtz in 1761 in Strasbourg, France. Her mother worked as a housekeeper for Dr. Philippe Curtius in Bern, Switzerland, who was a physician skilled in wax modelling. Curtius taught Tussaud the art of wax modelling. Tussaud created her first wax sculpture in 1777 of Voltaire. Other famous people whom she modelled at that time include Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin. During the French Revolution, she modelled many prominent victims. She claims that she would search through corpses to find the severed heads of executed citizens, from which she would make death masks. Her death masks were held up as revolutionary flags and paraded through the streets of Paris. She inherited the doctor's vast collection of wax models following his death in 1794, and spent the next 33 years travelling around Europe.
Useful to know
- Confirm current admission and opening times before leaving.
Your next visit
Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.
Outdoor visit · 37–75 min
World planning estimate; admission, opening, visit duration and access need checking.