Vegreville & it's Easter egg
In addition to being the center of Alberta's Ukrainian culture, this
town of 5300 has one other claim to fame: the world's largest known
Easter EGG! We kid you not. This nine metre(!) high egg, decorated
in traditional Ukrainian style, was built in 1975 to commemorate
the centennial of the formaiton of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
in Alberta (although I personally can't see the connection). Queen
Elizabeth and Prince Phillip unveiled the plaque next to the egg during
their visit in 1978. The Ukrainian festival is held in Vegreville
during the first week in July.
A big Thank-You goes to Victor Hannak who supplied both the graphic above
and the following facts! (errors are my fault, not his)
Ukrainian Easter Eggs are called "Psyankas", and
to back up Vegreville's assertion that this is the biggest in the world
a plaque is included telling the reader:
- Material: Aluminum Permanently anodized in gold, bronze, and
silver.
- Number of Pieces:
- Star Patterns: 524
- Triangular Pieces: 2,206
- Visible Facets: 3,512
- Nuts and Bolts: 6,978
- Internal Struts: 177
- Weight:
- Aluminum Skin: 2,000 lbs
- Internal Structure: 3,000 lbs
- Base: 27,000 lbs
- Dimensions:
- Length: 25.7 feet
- Width: 18.3 feet
- Highest Point from Ground: 31.6 feet
Over 12,000 man hours of design and fabrication were required
to develop the structure.
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