The Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg

The Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world and Hamburg's No. 1 tourist attraction. More than 16 million visitors from all over the world have already seen a superlative miniature world in Hamburg's Speicherstadt. A unique miniature masterpiece was created on an area of 1,499 square metres in around 795,000 working hours, and it continues to grow. In addition to its sophisticated technology, it impresses above all with its richness of detail. Over 265,000 figures were lovingly staged, cars and ships move through the landscapes, and even airplanes take off from Knuffingen Airport every minute. Since February 2018 the new section "Venice" can be visited. The Wunderland is a breathtaking miniature cosmos that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.

A dream that came true

But it is not only the creation of its own world that makes the Miniatur Wunderland so unique. The impressive landscapes hide unprecedented high-tech in model making. For example, 389,000 LEDs, which switch on and off dynamically, paired with a specially developed lighting control system for an almost perfect day and night simulation and 280 computer-controlled cars for large eyes or more than 200 push-button actions for interaction between visitors and the wonderlands.

The story - It all started in July 2000

After a series of joint projects, the twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun founded Miniatur Wunderland together with their long-term partner Stephan Hertz in 2000. The choice of location fell on the Speicherstadt, at that time still separated from the rest of the city by a customs fence. The original concept envisaged that the plant would be built and maintained by 20 employees and that 100,000 visitors would visit the exhibition every year. However, 20 employees had grown to 40 by the time it opened on 16 August 2001. The 100,000 visitors dreamed of in the first year also grew to 300,000. The starting shot for a fairy tale. In December 2016, the Miniatur Wunderland already had 15 million visitors. And there is no holding.

The future - There are more than 190 countries in the world, only nine in Wunderland so far.

It would probably take a good 250 years and a lot of space to recreate all the countries in the world. With 14 locations in Miniatur Wunderland, there is already a variety on offer, from Scandinavia to Hamburg and Venice to Rio de Janeiro and Patagonia. When South America is finally completed in 2027, preparations are already underway for Asia with its megacities such as Hong Kong and Singapore.