This is The Mapparium, a low-tech experiment in optical overload that no one would have the time or money to build any more. The Mapparium is sheltered inside the lobby of the Boston headquarters of the Christian Science Monitor. It was built by Old World craftsmen who had fled Nazi Germany. As such, the political boundaries are frozen circa 1935, which can be a little disconcerting when you look for Israel or Vietnam. The bronze framework of the mighty globe holds over 600 concave glass panels, which are illuminated by 300 lights placed outside.
Electric clocks ring the equator, giving comparative times around the world.
Visitors enter on the elevated bridge through the Indian Ocean and exit through the South Pacific. The tourguide gives a laconic, Down East explanation. By standing on the crystal bridge, one sees our planet from pole to pole with none of the distortion of area and distance that occur on a flat map. Misc All visitor tips for Massachusetts . Send us mail .