This is a huge three-dimensional, outdoor concrete scale model of Scotland found in the grounds of the Barony Hotel and is claimed to be the world's largest terrain relief model. It was the inspiration of Krakow born Jan Tomasik and was built by a group of Poles between 1974-9.
During the Second World War, around 17.000 Polish troops were stationed in Scotland. Jan Tomasik had been a sergeant with the 1st (Polish) Armoured Division stationed in Galashiels. He married a Scottish nurse in 1942 after being treated in the town’s Peel Hospital for the effects of a wound and settled in Scotland at the end of the war.
Tomasik became a successful hotelier in Edinburgh after the war and added Black Barony Hotel to his properties in 1968. In 1970, Tomasik met the head of the Geography department at the University of Krakow and proposed the idea of a large scale relief map to be built in the grounds of his hotel. Not only would it become a tourist attraction bringing people to the hotel, he also intended it as a thank you to the Scottish people for their hospitality shown to the Poles during the war.
Set in a a huge pit to be surrounded by water, the outline was laid out at a scale of 1:10,000 using a set of Bartholomew’s survey maps of Scotland. 300, 600 and 900m contours were laid out. Mountain heights were exaggerated by a scale of 5:1 to enhance the visual impact. When finished it was surrounded by water to create seas and lochs. The surface was painted with forests, urban areas, major roads and lochs shown.
After a fire in 1985, the hotel closed and was sold. The map rapidly became overgrown, suffering damage from harsh winter conditions. In 2012, a group of enthusiasts formed a charity to restore the map, with the support of the new owners of the hotel. Its future care is now the responsibility of the hotel.
The map is reached by a short walk through the hotel grounds.
There is a walkway with information panels around the edge and a viewing platform. The map has not been repainted and weeds are beginning to appear again in some of the ‘dips’. The map is almost too big to photograph.
website
During the Second World War, around 17.000 Polish troops were stationed in Scotland. Jan Tomasik had been a sergeant with the 1st (Polish) Armoured Division stationed in Galashiels. He married a Scottish nurse in 1942 after being treated in the town’s Peel Hospital for the effects of a wound and settled in Scotland at the end of the war.
Tomasik became a successful hotelier in Edinburgh after the war and added Black Barony Hotel to his properties in 1968. In 1970, Tomasik met the head of the Geography department at the University of Krakow and proposed the idea of a large scale relief map to be built in the grounds of his hotel. Not only would it become a tourist attraction bringing people to the hotel, he also intended it as a thank you to the Scottish people for their hospitality shown to the Poles during the war.
Set in a a huge pit to be surrounded by water, the outline was laid out at a scale of 1:10,000 using a set of Bartholomew’s survey maps of Scotland. 300, 600 and 900m contours were laid out. Mountain heights were exaggerated by a scale of 5:1 to enhance the visual impact. When finished it was surrounded by water to create seas and lochs. The surface was painted with forests, urban areas, major roads and lochs shown.
After a fire in 1985, the hotel closed and was sold. The map rapidly became overgrown, suffering damage from harsh winter conditions. In 2012, a group of enthusiasts formed a charity to restore the map, with the support of the new owners of the hotel. Its future care is now the responsibility of the hotel.
The map is reached by a short walk through the hotel grounds.
There is a walkway with information panels around the edge and a viewing platform. The map has not been repainted and weeds are beginning to appear again in some of the ‘dips’. The map is almost too big to photograph.
website