Miniatur Wunderland
 Miniatur Wunderland in the Speicherstadt district of Hamburg | |
|
Limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) | |
| Industry | Model railway |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Hamburg, Germany |
Key people | Frederik & Gerrit Braun, Stephan Hertz |
Number of employees | 270 |
| Website |
miniatur-wunderland |
Miniatur Wunderland (German for 'miniature wonderland') is a model railway 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.
In October 2016 the railway consisted of 15,400 m (50,525 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 6,800 m2 (73,195 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,490 m2 (16,038 sq ft).[1]
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).[1] The exhibit includes 1,040 trains made up of over 10,000 carriages, ca. 385,000 lights, 130,000 trees, and 260,000 human figurines. Planning is also in progress for the construction of sections for France, England, Africa and Australia.[2]
History
The construction of the first part started in December 2000 and the first three parts: Knuffingen, Central Hamburg and Austria,[3] were completed in August 2001. The project was created by twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun.[4]
In 2012 the Wunderland also completed a series of diorama representing social conditions and life in various periods of German history.
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) | 2017 (in construction) | c. 10 m2 (110 sq ft) |
| 10 | Monaco (with Formula-One-Circuit) | 2019 (planned) | |
| 11 | England/Scotland | 2021 (planned) | |
| 12 | France | 2023 (planned) | |
| 13 | Ireland/Wales | 2025 (planned) | |
| 14 | Benelux | 2026 (planned) |
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
In popular culture
Miniatur Wunderland has featured on the British Television Series James May's Toy Stories twice, with Sebastian and Gerrit helping BBC Top Gear presenter James May building an 00-scale Hornby model railway along the Tarka Trail abandoned railway between Barnstaple and Bideford.
It was visited in episode six of the BBC series Great Continental Railway Journeys.
References
- 1 2 "Wunderland Facts – The Wunderland in Numbers". Retrieved 2016-10-14.
- ↑ "Wunderland Fakten - Modellbau Modelleisenbahn Hamburg".
- ↑ "Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg".
- ↑ "Train Trip". Kidzworld.com. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miniatur Wunderland. |
Coordinates: 53°32′38″N 9°59′20″E / 53.54389°N 9.98889°E