Hamtramck, Michigan - Hamtramck Disneyland - Folk Art

A retired gentleman named Dmytro Szylak -- who came to Hamtramck from the Ukraine right after WWII -- created Hamtramck Disneyland. It took him from 1997 or so until 1999 to put it all up. Several of the displays are wired-up and move when he flicks a switch. He also has lights and music wired-up. It's in the back of an unassuming house on Klinger St. right in the alley. It looks like a carnival for gnomes. I live in the house, and my landlord is Dmytro Szylak. [Lenaya Lynch, 04/26/2006]

Down a small alley off of Klinger in Hamtramck, MI lies the Hamtramck Disneyland. It is a backyard filled to 30 ft. tall with crazy items. There is a structure that supports reindeer, Mickey Mouse in a plane, there are mini cars on the ground, toys galore, etc. etc. Way too much to describe, you just have to see it! All built by one older gentleman. [Nancy, 08/24/2002]

A wacky assemblage of hand-carved and found objects, miraculously towers two-stories above several garages of a retired Ukranian auto worker. The mass of materials collected for over ten years, spins and sways in the wind and lights up at night, while traditional Ukranian Folk music pours out of the attached speakers. It is a site to behold! [Carryn, 01/21/2001]