The origins of Miniatur Wunderland
This paradise for model lovers was born in 2001 and originally opened with replicas of German and Austrian railroad areas and the fictional Knuffingen (city and airport). As early as 2003, the Miniature World became international, with an expansion into miniature America. Other regions from Scandinavia, Switzerland or Italy followed, as well as expansions for Knuffingen. After the completion of South America in 2021, plans for the Caribbean and Asia were already underway.The ever-expending miniature country
Now the Miniature Wonderland boasts well over 15,000 tracks and around 300,000 figures. In total, more than 1,000 model trains run on the dioramas, past more than 4,000 buildings. More than 800,000 hours of work are now said to have gone into what is actually a gigantic mini-land.
Knuffingen Airport scoreboardLet's go to Knuffingen!
The fictitious town of Knuffingen, including the airport, is a special highlight, not least because of its innovative model-making technology. The airport fascinatingly demonstrates model art and is one of the most popular parts of the exhibition. There, small planes take off and land according to the screen in the diorama, which displays departure times, and are serviced on the ground, where there is equally bustling activity.
Exterior facade in the Speicherstadt, HamburgWunderland becoming international
The attraction has been constantly expanded since its creation in 2001, so as not to become boring. In 2020 and 2021, Monaco and Provence as well South America were added as new sections, with Central America and the Caribbean already in the queue for 2023. By 2026, Asia is the next milestone.Going through history in a mini format
It is not only through regional expansions that Miniatur Wunderland keeps itself fresh. In addition, there are now many special exhibitions on special topics. Historical dioramas, for example, show Berlin during the time of the Berlin Wall or the history of our civilization in eight stations. Across the 52ft (16m) high and 82 ft (25m) long bridge over the Elbe, there is now the exhibition The World from Above which presents various places in the world from a bird's eye view.