ESPARK Eskişehir Sazova Miniature Park: A Lasting Capital of Culture Legacy
Commissioned and funded by the Governorship of Eskişehir as a permanent cultural centre to commemorate the city’s designation as the Turkic World Capital of Culture, the open-air Eskişehir Sazova miniature park is a milestone in municipal attraction planning.
Featuring 35 skilfully crafted scale monuments within the renowned Sazova Science, Art and Culture Park, the project proves that world-class themed exhibitions create enormous public interest and tourism even in mid-sized urban centres.
Project Background and Civic Landmark Value
From a Temporary Festival to a Permanent Monument: While capital of culture festivals usually leave behind only short-lived events, the Governorship of Eskişehir invested in creating a revenue-generating, permanent and tangible public asset that continues to attract visitors years after the celebrations have ended.
Architectural Heritage of the Turkic World: The park exhibits 35 scale models, faithfully reconstructed at 1:25 scale, representing landmark architectural heritage sites across the historic Turkic and Islamic world.
Engineered for a Continental Climate: Using our proprietary weather-resistant composite resin formulas and UV-stabilized paint coatings, the models were built to withstand extreme seasonal temperature fluctuations, such as the freezing, snowy winters and intense UV summer heat of Central Anatolia.
A Compact Design with a Unique Curatorial Layout
An Intimate and Dynamic Viewing Experience: Unlike large, flat miniature parks, this installation uses a distinctive, non-linear spatial layout. The models are raised on special scenic display plinths with contoured landscaping, creating varied focal heights and uninterrupted sightlines in a compact space.
High-Density Storytelling: Visitors experience a rich, carefully curated architectural journey without walking fatigue, making the park highly accessible for school groups, families and the elderly.
Integrated Themed Landscaping: Micro-scale botanical elements, natural rock formations and special ambient lighting complement each model while maintaining strict scale realism.
A Proven Project: High Public Demand Beyond Megacities
- Debunking the Megacity Myth: A common misconception in destination development is that high-attendance themed parks are only viable in megacities such as Istanbul or London. Eskişehir’s sustained record-breaking attendance proves that regional cities have a huge and underserved appetite for quality cultural recreation.
- A Catalyst for Urban Tourism: When offered an authentic, well-designed attraction, local residents and domestic tourists enthusiastically made it a primary weekend destination, elevating the entire Sazova Park ecosystem to the status of one of Turkey’s most famous municipal projects.
Eskişehir Sazova Miniature Park: A 1:25 Collection and Exhibition Plan
The collection at Sazova is an example of telling a cultural theme through the selection of buildings, scale and landscaping together. In a new miniature park, a common scale, the plinth heights of the models and the distance from which visitors can see the details are part of the collection plan. The 1:25 scale used in this project is not a mandatory limit for all new projects; the scale is determined according to the purpose of the exhibition.
You can explore our work in miniature park model production, miniature park landscaping and architectural models.