Last year, Malaysia celebrated Visit Malaysia Year 2014, while this year was Year of Festivals 2015. To support these big tourism projects, our friends at LEGOLAND Malaysia unveiled two new additions to their impressive Miniland displays, which we checked out recently. Read more…
ISTANA BUKIT SERENE
The Istana Bukit Serene serves as both the royal palace and the official residence for the Sultan of Johor. Completed in 1933, it features a tower that goes as high as 35 meters, fascinating carved walls, and a huge garden that hosts royal celebrations and gatherings. Also a famous landmark, it can be viewed from the waterfront of Danga Bay in Johor, which is about 20 minutes away from LEGOLAND Malaysia.
Its LEGO model, meanwhile, forms the 20th cluster at Miniland, and here are more facts about it, according to our friends from the resort:
- The entire LEGO palace model display sits on an area of 155.824 sq m, nearly the same size as the Sultan Abdul Samad building in the KL cluster.
- It took a team of six model builders and one model designer slightly over 2,300 man hours to complete the structure.
- A total of 278,023 LEGO bricks and plates were used in the construction of the Istana Bukit Serene.
- The main building of the LEGO palace is the most substantial of the three, and had to be separated into six smaller sections for ease of building and transportation.
- The main hall is the largest, measuring at 1.88m x 1.624m in dimensions, while the tower section is the tallest structure in the model, standing at 1.542m.
- A special modular patterned wall piece was designed for the purpose of building the entire cobblestone-like wall around the palace; each piece comprised 72 LEGO bricks and measured at 48x48mm, and a total of 707 pieces were used throughout the palace.
- The wall structure alone is made up of 83,864 LEGO pieces—30% of the total brick count of the entire model.
- The palace features a black cat on its roof - story has it that the Sultan often complained about a black cat on his roof at nights but the guards could never spot it. At least now, with the LEGO palace, they'll be able to find it.
- The palace also showcases the traditional Johor dance: Zapin and the Sultan’s motorbike.
MALAYSIAN VILLAGE HOUSES
A federal country, Malaysia is comprised of 13 states and three territories, and each of the states have cultures related to each other but are not entirely similar. This is reflected through their respective village houses (rumah kampung), which were made into LEGO models in Miniland. The village house of Sabah even features Mount Kinabalu as backdrop.
LEGOLAND Malaysia opened to the public on September 15, 2012 in Nusajaya, Johor. For details on how to go, read this guide. For a tour around the park, check out my posts:
- The Beginning and LEGO Technic
- LEGO Kingdom and Imagination
- Land of Adventure and LEGO City
- The Amazing MINILAND
- LEGOLAND Malaysia Tips and Survival Guide
