Palestine Park, Miniature park in Chautauqua, United States.
Palestine Park is a miniature park in Chautauqua that displays a scale model of the Holy Land with cities, hills, rivers, and natural features spread across the terrain. The model is designed to be walked through, allowing visitors to explore the spatial relationships between different Biblical locations.
Reverend John Heyl Vincent created this educational model in 1874 as a way to bring the experience of Biblical geography to American visitors without requiring travel overseas. The project grew from the teaching mission of the Chautauqua Institution.
The park serves as an outdoor classroom where visitors can walk through and understand the geography of Biblical narratives. This physical representation helps people connect with the landscapes and locations mentioned in religious texts.
The park is accessible to visitors during the nine-week summer season at Chautauqua Institution. Guided tours are regularly offered and help visitors understand the various locations and their Biblical connections.
The model is oriented 180 degrees from its actual geographical position so that Chautauqua Lake serves as the Mediterranean Sea in the layout. This unconventional arrangement cleverly incorporates the nearby water as a natural feature of the replica.
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