QUIRK: Johan's Ark, a Museum That Follows Biblical Proportions
A wealthy Dutchman builds a replica of Noah’s Ark, following the measurements outlined in the book of Genesis.
QUIRK
Johan Huibers, who lives in the Dutch town Dordrecht recently opened a public “Bible museum,” inside his 300-cubit wooden vessel. The massive boat, known as “Johan’s Ark,” not only includes life-size plastic animals, but also a theater, restaurant, sleeping quarters, and conference facilities large enough to seat 1,500 guests.
He tells CNN that inspiration for the project came in 1992, after the low-lying Netherlands were flooded by the North Sea. "The next day I bought a book about Noah's Ark. That night while sitting on the couch with my kids, I looked at it and said: 'It's what we're going to do,'" reports CNN.
Huibers constructed a half-scale model in 2004, which was later used to take tourists on canal trips. But in 2008, he began work on a full-scale replica that has finally come to completion. Though, unfortunately, because no one really knows what “gopher wood” is, Huiber has constructed his ark using metal barges and Scandinavian pine.
