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

The Miniatur Wunderland was founded together with her father Jochen Braun and her long-time partner Stephan Hertz. 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.

The Future - There are more than 190 countries in the world that would probably take a good 250 years and a lot of space to replicate all the countries on earth. At the moment, expansion planning is nearing completion. If all goes well, about 3,000 square metres of new space on the other side of the canal will soon be added. A bridge will connect it to the rest of the exhibition for visitors and trains. The sections Venice, Monaco, Great Britain and France are specifically planned. Then parts of Africa or Asia could follow.