There is a small child in each one of us waiting to be tickled out by a miniature. In 2000 twin brothers Gerrit and Frederik Braun took up the challenge and they certainly had me gasping with surprise when I visited their Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg. This is a gigantic model railway / diorama reflecting social conditions and life in various periods and places in miniature.
The completion date for this miniature wonderland for children of every age and culture is 2020. Already, it spreads out over 6,400 square metres / 68,889 square feet of floor space. There are 890 train sets of 11,000 carriages, 300 electric lights, 215,000 trees and 200,000 miniature people. This is undoubtedly the largest and most ambitious extravaganza of its kind anywhere in the world.
Getting to the Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg, Germany
The Wunderland in Hamburg is on the banks of the River Elbe in the heart of Hamburg’s historic warehouse district, and less than a kilometre / half a mile from some of the most famous shopping streets in Europe. It is readily accessible from the main Hauptbahnhof train / bus station, where you can catch a subway to Baumwall on the Rathaus / Barmbek line.
If you feel like exploring the town, you can also hire a car.
When you get there prepare to be astounded by amazing examples of the model maker’s art, depicting mountain ranges in Harz, the imaginary city of Knuffingen, the Austrian Alps, America, Hamburg, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Come back soon because Italy and France are next on the agenda, and miniature Africa and England are already on the drawing board.
