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Miniature Museum and Cinema in August 2018. Photo by Benoît Prieur on

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Miniature and Cinema Museum

Miniature and cinema museum is a private museum founded by the miniaturist artist Dan Ohlmann. It was founded on 2005.

The museum was formerly known as the museum of miniatures and movie sets. Miniature and Cinema Museum is located in no 60 rue Saint-Jean in Lyon.

It is hosted in the historic building of the former House lawyers. Miniature and cinema museum houses two permanent collections: a collection devoted to the art of miniature painting and another to special effects techniques used in film shoots.

Dan Ohlmann trained as a woodworker and a practising sculptor from the age of 20. He later became an interior decorator and designer in his thirties.

Later on in the 1980s, Dan created sets for theatre and opera productions which led to the idea of the miniature and cinema museum.

The work of Dan never appeared on television but it was later featured in magazines like Le Nouvel Observateur and Le Figaro, as well as several television programmes.

Dan became the first miniaturist to be discovered in France. A Swiss collector who was renowned for her passion for miniatures and cinema was attracted to Dan’s work and came out to assist him. This is how the miniature and cinema museum in Lyon was founded with the help of a Swiss collector.

Below are the top 10 Remarkable Facts about Miniature and Cinema Museum;

1. The Founder has always been passionate about Miniature and Cinema

The founder of Miniature and Cinema Museum is known as Dan Ohlmann. He was trained as a woodworker and with a 20-year career as an interior designer.

However, his passion was in the creation of miniature. His first collection of miniature furniture was in 1985. Dan was driven by his passion for the Art Nouveau style which wowed in France.

His artistic work attracted intense media attention with major magazines and television shows featuring his work. Dan became the first miniaturist to be discovered in France.

2. The Museum was Co-founded with the help of a Swiss Collector

After several shows in France mainly in Â鶹APP, Dan Ohlmann decided to carry out some exhibitions in Lyon. He fell in love with the town and decided to relocate fully.

While in Lyon, Dan’s miniature and cinema museum was small in size but attracted several people. A Swiss collector was fascinated by his work because she also had a passion for miniatures and cinema.

She offered Dan some help to transform the small family-run museum into a world-class attraction. The Swiss collector helped Dan advance his exhibitions into a bigger hall.

3. Miniature and Cinema Museum is Located in a Large Building Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The building where the Miniature and Cinema Museum is located. Photo by Elliot Brown on

The Swiss collector assisted Dan to move his small family-run museum into a world-class attraction site in a larger building. It was loved into a building dating back to the 16th century, the Maison des Avocats. This building was purchased by a Swiss collector.

In February 2005, the Miniature and cinema museum moved into the building. The museum building is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The work of Dan Ohlmann was later joined by dozens of other miniaturists. They created a permanent collection of the miniatures.

4. Artists from France and Abroad Work on New Pieces Yearly

Musée Miniature et Cinéma Lyon. Photo by Arnaud 25 on

The collection found in the miniature and cinema museum is usually worked on at least daily. Dan Ohlmann has always ensured that the creations in the museum are the latest.

Several other artists usually join him at the museum to make new and fresh creations. Their efforts have been an excellent source of new miniatures for the museum. Artists from France and abroad join the museum to add more pieces to the collections.

5. Cinematographic Heritage is Preserved at the Museum in a Unique way

The various artists who join Dan in the museum usually work on several pieces. The cinema objects are usually worked on to become more realistic and attractive to people.

Pirate sabres, radio-controlled robotic animals, science fiction costumes and other unusual film accessories are restored. These objects are properly restored into immensely valuable objects. The miniature and cinema museum participates in this way to preserve cinematographic heritage.

6. Miniatures at the Museum are Constructed per their Originals

A collection at the museum. Photo by TwoWings on

Miniaturists working in the museum usually require specific skills in making the collections. They construct each item based on hundreds of photographs and measurements taken at the original location.

It usually takes long periods of meticulous research and creation. However, after hard work, the collections turn out to be perfect and best inventions.

7. There are Numerous Exhibition Halls Dedicated to Different Professions

The miniature and cinema museum is full of excellent pieces of art that are exciting to the artists and the visitors. At the museum, there are numerous exhibition halls which are dedicated to the different professions that are involved in the art of miniatures.

Some of the collections are from woodworking, instrument-making, metal smiting or leatherwork done by skilled artisans. Carved eggs, micro-cut paper, origami, sculptured matches and other mastery demonstrations are always on exhibition.

8. Visitors are Introduced to the Cinema Museum with Astonishing sets from the Archives

Accessories of the Cyclops in the movie The City of Lost Children. “Caro/Jeunet” exhibition at the Minature and Cinema museum in 2018-2019. Photo by TwoWings on

Getting into the miniature and cinema museum, there are a whole load of interactive and interesting collections. The cinema section of the museum is always interesting.

Visitors are welcomed and introduced to the cinema museum with numerous videos and documents from the archives. They show astounding illusions of the industry’s greatest special effects.

Film sets, costumes, models, masks and prostheses, lifelike animals, animatronics, robots and other objects lighten up the cinema museum.

9. Several Classic Events and Exhibitions take place at the Museum

The miniature and cinema museum is among the most frequented places in Lyon. The collections in the museum are so mesmerising and attractive.

Several classic events and exhibitions take place at the museum. Various artists showcase their artwork as well as the new collections that they make daily.

10. There are Several Attraction Sites near the Museum

Facade of the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema in Vieux Lyon. Photo by Micka13 on

Several classic monuments can be found in Lyon. Some of them share the same street.

Miniature and cinema museum is located in a very famous street new several attraction sites. Some of these sites include Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste, La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere and the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon Fourviere.