Apologies for the delay in posting the next instalment. I have been quite busy recently!
Our Saturday morning in Hamburg was something I had been looking forward to for a long time – our visit to Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest model railway (bigger even than Rod Stewart’s).
Miniatur Wunderland is so popular that you generally have to prebook an admission slot, especially at weekends. This was something we had neglected to do, but after a little bit of wrangling with our hotel’s computer terminal and its intermittent wi-fi connection, I had a printed PDF voucher which would allow us to gain entry between 10.30 and 11.30 (once you’re in, you can stay as long as you like).
Miniatur Wunderland is spread across two floors of a giant warehouse in the Speicerstadt area of the city. When we first arrived at the Wunderland building, there was a brief bit of misdirection where we walked into what appeared to be a fire escape (we only noticed our mistake after going up three flights of stairs).
With our pre-booked voucher we were quickly inside the main building, and on to the models themselves.
I have been to plenty of model railway shows (I’m still single, fellas!) but I wasn’t quite prepared for this. One of the first things you see when you enter the exhibition is a breathtaking model of the Alps, with mountains so tall that balconies have been installed above so you can see them from below.
The Alps is one of several areas that have been modelled. Elsewhere, the American west is simulated, with desert scenes and buildings that may or may not be meant to represent Las Vegas.
There is also “Scandinavia”, which features ships sailing on real water.
Snow scenes are modelled as well:
Hamburg itself features, with a stunningly detailed recreation of the cityscape, with a giant Hauptbahnhof taking pride of place.
The big attraction at the moment is not even a model railway, but Knuffingen airport, a model of a full-sized airport, complete with planes which taxi and even take off and land!
OK, so you can see the stick which is holding them up, but it’s still an incredible thing to see. A nice touch is the “departure board” which shows which planes are arriving and departing. There’s even a model Concorde, although I didn’t get a picture of it.
The really great moment, however, comes after a wait of 15 minutes or so. The lights gradually dim, and then all of a sudden it’s night time! The buildings light up like a miniature fairyland:
All this is overseen by a massive network of computers and CCTV cameras which are linked to a control room where the operators keep an eye on everything. It’s not just a masterpiece of model making; there is some ingenious technology here too.
It’s not all about massive landscapes, though. There are some lovely little details to be found as well.
There are some amusing dioramas hidden in the scenery. Like Superman flying to the rescue of a car teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Below left, you can see where they faked the Moon landings. As to the picture below right, well… I have no idea what’s going on.
In the American desert, aliens are swarming all over Area 51:
Elsewhere, in a secluded bit of countryside, a rabbit is working as a teacher, for some reason:
And it wouldn’t be Germany without a Freikörperkultur area:-
It’s an astonishing achievement, and well worth a visit, even if you’re not particular interested in model railways.
The Wunderland’s creators are not resting on their laurels, however. A ninth section, Italy, is under construction, and a model representing London is planned for the future. OH NO THAT MEANS I’LL HAVE TO COME BACK WHAT A SHAME.