The mini-village has opened its gates in Brenguļi parish, Jaunvāle. The village has been Santa Paegle's dream for ten years, and recently she purchased land to create it. Many prominent buildings of Latvia are now exhibited in a tiny 3D format.
She said: “I didn't really have time for flowerbeds, but I wanted some kind of environment object. On the Internet I saw how it could be made. The first building was the Church of Trikāta, because it is the closest and can be measured."
Paegle outlined the process of building objects – laser-measuring the dimensions, taking photos from different angles, draw blueprints, calculate, then create a building model on a scale of 1:25 from materials purchased in a DIY shop.
“I have to start with something simpler - and why not the church? Because churches are easy enough. I tried it, and I got it! My ancestors have come from the Trikāta parish, but this was not a determinant in this case,” she said.
A 3D printer also comes in handy in the creation – that way, Alūksne Palace, Stāmeriena Palace, Vijciema church, and other buildings have joined the Trikāta church.
Thematic parks with miniature houses can be found in a number of European countries. Santa Paegle had been in the village of “Mini Europe” in Brussels, she also pointed out that such an object had recently been unveiled in Lithuania, but in Latvia her "MiniCiems" was the first. For the time being, it is open only a few days a week. The author promises that she will continue to study Latvia's history and copy the lost objects.
You can find the address and contact information of the MiniCiems on its Facebook page.
