The Very Model of A Medieval Cathedral
by Ole Utke

People who like building architectural models (especially medieval ones) can surely benefit from the paper models made by the French company, L'Instant Durable.

Some years ago I visited the Notre Dame in Reims, France. And there, nicely exhibited in a big montre, I saw a brilliant 1:250 scale model of the very same Cathedral. A closer examination revealed that it was made out of paper!!

In the kiosk I bought an A4 booklet with a lot of pages —pages with precise prints of all the more than 500 pieces that needed to be cut, trimmed and glued to, finally, become the completed model. And, let me add: A very nice model indeed (ever since I exhibited the model on top of an old cupboard all my guests have praised it to the skies).

As always, when building models, one only need to be precise and patient - that's all. No special abilities are needed.

Compared to the time it takes to build a model from scratch, it's a snap with your fingers. Besides being a nice exhibition unit in itself, it works fine as a "measure-stick" if one want's to build another model.

Those who want to enjoy all the pleasures of building, and looking at nice well done models, the L'Instant Durable Selection is worth a visit. They have a fairly broad line of medieval models (the only drawback is, that they are not kept in the same scale).

And by now I'm on my way to building Cluny, Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle.

Perhaps some of you can use the models for educational purposes. I have had great pleasure in using them as eyecatchers when I wanted to tell people this and that about the great cathedrals. The models make the whole story much easier to grasp...

Story and photos © Ole Utke

More resources to Reims Cathedral:

New York Carver Gothic Images: Reims
More Reims Cathedral Images
Cathédrale de Reims