The station in Ivano-Frankivsk (1866): one of the five most beautiful in Ukraine
Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph I and the legendary anarchist Nestor Makhno, ataman of the Ukrainian Republic Petliura and composer Lysenko visited here. Actors, writers, public figures and, of course, local thieves walked along these platforms. It was at the station that the first electric lighting appeared in the city. And aliens flew here!
At Miniland.UA, the Ivano-Frankivsk railway station is also sure to attract attention. It is immediately visible, because it is the largest building on the layout. The length of the facade is almost 2 meters! In total, we used 5924 parts from MDF, cardboard, acrylic, PVC, polymer and PET in the work on the station.
We love small details, so we carefully recreated the interiors of the central cashier’s hall and cafe. Look through the windows and see them with your own eyes! Our station has a real scoreboard with the schedule of miniature trains, and the clock works according to the time zone of the Miniland.UA country. Realism is added by the effective illumination of the facade, made with the help of LEDs.
Want to learn more? Keep scrolling!
A bit of history: electricity, erotica, thieves and aliens
The history of the railway station in Ivano-Frankivsk began back in 1866. It was then, on September 1, that the first Lviv-Chernivtsi train arrived here. This trip lasted more than 12 hours, and the stop in Franik stretched for 47 minutes. Therefore, passengers had the opportunity to have a good look at the local station. However, he looked completely different in those days.
It was a Moorish style building. Stucco molding, rounded windows, faceted columns and even a winged goddess above all this. The designer of the building was the architect Ludvig Vezhbytskyi, later the director of the Lviv Railway.
In 1897, the station was the first in the city to receive electric lighting from the German company “Siemens & Halske”. Already in 1906, the building was completely reconstructed. It grew in length and height, becoming what it is now.
The station, fortunately, did not experience major railway disasters and accidents. But the community of the city was troubled for a certain time. In 1910, the townspeople were outraged that the station had become a center for the sale of adult magazines and immoral photo cards. Well, you got it.
And in 1912, a high-profile theft happened here. Three famous railway thieves – Aaron, Schwartz and Rosenfeld – robbed a respected high-ranking official, the Bukovinian ambassador Blum. And so that the police did not take away the loot, they swallowed gold coins. We will not tell how the police extracted money from the bodies of thieves. But they succeeded.
And, finally, the most mysterious case happened at Ivano-Frankivsk railway station in 1942. A real UFO was observed above him! It flew over the tracks for a few minutes and then disappeared. We believe that the newcomers specifically came to admire the magnificent building of the station. Just like we do now. v
The secret of Ivano-Frankivsk railway station in Miniland.UA
You probably know that all kinds of miracles happen at Miniland.UA when our country is not watched by visitors. So, if English young wizards go to Hogwarts from London’s King’s Cross station, Ukrainian future wizards start their journey from Ivano-Frankivsk station. The truth is the truth. Here, too, there is its own magical platform, hidden from human sight. Take a closer look and maybe you can guess which of the passengers will follow the path of Harry Potter!
