Top this sand castle! Japanese museum intricately recreates Prague landmark for new exhibit

Try re-creating this on the beaches of Europe this summer.

For a new exhibit entitled Czechia and Slovakia, artists at The Sand Museum in Tottori Sand Dunes, Japan have crafted an intricately-detailed sand sculpture that faithfully recreates both Prague Castle and much of its surroundings in Malá Strana.

In addition to Prague Castle, the Czechia and Slovakia exhibit also features famous Prague landmarks like Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock, as well as other locales and historical figures from across both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The impressive sculptures reach a height of five meters tall, with Prague Castle standing at the top. Seventeen artists from eight countries around the world created the nineteen individual sculptures that make up the Czechia and Slovakia exhibit. They used 3,000 tons of sand, a record for the Museum, and took about one month to complete.

Originally slated to open in April, the Czechia and Slovakia exhibit was closed to the public due to COVID-19 concerns but will finally open from tomorrow, July 11.

Fully opened from 2012, The Sand Museum in Tottori claims to be the world’s first permanent museum space dedicated to sand art. More information about The Sand Museum can be found on its official website.

Japan is also one of the countries the Czech Republic has cleared for restriction-free travel; unfortunately, restrictions on incoming travelers from the Czech Republic (and most of Europe) remain in place on the Japanese side at the moment.