Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland

View of the Hamburg section

Control room

Ships sailing in real water in the Scandinavia layout

Miniatur Wunderland (German for miniature wonderland) is a model railway attraction in Hamburg, Germany and the largest of its kind in the world. As of January 2011^[update], the railway consists of 12,000 metres (39,370 ft) of track in HO scale, divided into seven sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Of the 6,400 square metres (68,889 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,150 m² (12,378 sq ft).^[1]

By 2020, the exhibit is expected to have reached its final construction phase, including at least a total of ten sections in a model area of over 2,300 m² (24,757 sq ft).^[1] The next section covering an airport opened in May 2011. The exhibit includes 890 trains made up of over 11,000 carriages, 300,000 lights, 215,000 trees, and 200,000 human figurines. The creators will work on models of Italy and France now that the airport section is completed. The airport is named Knuffingen International Airport and is modeled after Hamburg International Airport. Possible future additions include Africa, England, or a futuristic landscape.^[1]

History

The construction of the first part started in December 2000 and the first three parts were completed in August 2001. The project was created by two brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Wunderland Facts – The Wunderland in Numbers". http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/wunderland/wunderland-facts/. Retrieved 2011-01-27. 
2. ^ "Train Trip". Kidzworld.com. http://www.kidzworld.com/article/16822-train-trip/. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 

External links

Media related to Miniatur Wunderland at Wikimedia Commons

• Miniatur Wunderland – official site in English
• BBC News story