Miniatur Wunderland
Miniatur Wunderland (German for 'miniature wonderland') is a model railway and miniature airport attraction in Hamburg, Germany, and the largest of its kind in the world. The railway is located in the historic Speicherstadt district of the city.
![]() Miniatur Wunderland in the Speicherstadt district of Hamburg | |
Limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) | |
Industry | Model railway |
Founded | December 2000 |
Headquarters | |
Key people | Frederik & Gerrit Braun, Stephan Hertz |
Number of employees | 360[1] |
Website | miniatur-wunderland |
In October 2016 the railway consisted of 15,715 m (51,558 ft) of track in H0 scale, divided into nine sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, Switzerland, a replica of the Hamburg Airport and Italy. Of the 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,499 m2 (16,135 sq ft).[2]
By 2020, the exhibit is expected to have reached its final construction phase, including at least a total of ten new sections in a model area of over 2,300 m2 (24,757 sq ft).[2] The exhibit includes 1,300 trains made up of over 10,000 carriages, over 100,000 moving vehicles, ca. 500,000 lights, 130,000 trees, and 400,000 human figurines.[3] Planning is also in progress for the construction of sections for Central America and the Caribbean, Asia, England, Africa and The Netherlands.[4]
History
The construction of the first part started in December 2000 and the first three parts: Knuffingen, Central Hamburg and Austria,[5] were completed in August 2001. The project was created by twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun.[6]
In 2012 the Wunderland also completed a series of diorama representing social conditions and life in various periods of German history. [7]
For Christmas 2018, Miniatur Wunderland teamed up with Airbnb to raise money for Hanseatic Help.[8][9] As part of holiday miniature figurines will fly in to Knuffingen Airport, catch a special Christmas train to Knuffingen station and tour around Knuffingen town.[10] The guests will stay in a chalet, hosted by Mini, Mayor of Knuffingen, equipped with stockings (size of a pencil tip), a rocking horse (size of a paperclip), a (4 cm high) Christmas tree as well as a fireplace.[8][9]
Overview of the different sections
Section | Name | Completion date | Size |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Harz/Central Germany | August 2001 | c. 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) |
2 | Knuffingen | August 2001 | c. 120 m2 (1,300 sq ft) |
3 | Austria | August 2001 | c. 60 m2 (650 sq ft) |
4 | Hamburg | November 2002 | c. 200 m2 (2,200 sq ft) |
5 | United States | December 2003 | c. 100 m2 (1,100 sq ft) |
6 | Scandinavia | July 2005 | c. 300 m2 (3,200 sq ft) |
7 | Switzerland | November 2007 | c. 250 m2 (2,700 sq ft) |
8 | Knuffingen Airport | May 2011 | c. 150 m2 (1,600 sq ft) |
9 | Italy | September 2016 | c. 190 m2 (2,000 sq ft) |
9 a. | Venice (as part to the Italy section) | February 2018 | c. 10 m2 (110 sq ft) |
10 | Fun Fair | April 2020 (Under construction) | c. 9 m2(97 sq ft) |
11 a. | Monaco (with Formula-One-Circuit) | November 2020 (Under construction) | c. 36 m2(390 sq ft) |
11 b. | Provence | November 2020 (Under construction) | c. 27 m2(290 sq ft) |
12 | South America | Nov-Dec 2021 (Under construction) | c. 200 m2 (2150 sq ft) |
13 | Central America and the Caribbean | 2023 (planned) | c. 140 m2 (1500 sq ft) |
14 | Asia | 2026 (planned) | c. 150 m2 (1610 sq ft) |
15 | England/The Netherlands/Africa | 2028– (planned) | unknown |
Gallery
- View of the Hamburg section
- Ships sailing in real water in the Scandinavia layout
- A football stadium based on Volksparkstadion
- Las Vegas Strip night scene
- Control room
- In The Alps
- Railway bridge
- Railway in Norway
- Rome in the Italy section
- Venice model under construction
See also
- Hamburg Museum - the MEHEV club keeps a miniature railroad in 1 gauge at this museum
References
- "Facts & Figures". Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- "Wunderland Facts – The Wunderland in Numbers". Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- "Live Like A German". Toy Train Exhibition (Miniatur Wunderland). Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- "The Future of Wunderland - Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg".
- "Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg".
- "Train Trip". Kidzworld.com. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- "the History of Civilization - Special Exhibitions - model railway Hamburg".
- Morris, Natalie (2018-12-13). "The world's tiniest home is now on Airbnb - but you won't be able to fit inside". Metro. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
- airbnb.co.uk (2018). "World's Tiniest Airbnb Hamburg". airbnb.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- "The World's Tiniest Home on Airbnb Now Available for Bookings". Airbnb Press Room. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
External links
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