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Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Photo by alex.ch from Zurich, Switzerland on

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg is a model railway and miniature airport attraction in Hamburg, Germany, the largest of its kind in the world. The railway is located in the historic Speicherstadt neighbourhood of the city.

One of it’s two founders Frederik Braun came up with the world’s largest model railway Miniatur Wonderland while he was one vacation, in a small model train store in Zurich, Germany. Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing facts about it;

1. The Miniatur Wunderland and its founders have received different awards and honors 

Miniatur Wunderland and its founders have received several awards and honors over the years. In 2010, company founders Frederik and Gerrit Braun and Stephan Hertz were awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for their social commitment.

The Miniatur Wunderland also holds the Guinness World Record for “Longest melody played by a model train.The Miniatur Wunderland is also the largest model railway layout in the world across all scales and it is still has plans and room for future expansion. 

2. It was ranked 3rd before it even existed and its whole idea fitted on just two pages

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Photo by alex.ch on

When he got the idea he went back home. Back in Hamburg he searched for email addresses online and started a survey on the popularity of real and fictional sights of the city. In the process, the Miniatur Wunderland, which did not yet exist, was ranked 3 by male respondents.

According to the twin brothers Gerrit and Frederik Braun, the idea for Miniatur Wunderland, including the business plan, fitted on just two pages.The financial backer was Hamburger Sparkasse.

3. More than 15 million people have visited the Miniatur Wunderland

The Miniatur Wunderland has been visited by more than 15 million people since its inception. On December 5, 2012, the ten millionth visitor came to Miniatur Wunderland and on December 2, 2016, the fifteen millionth visitor had visited the area. 

Around three quarters of visitors come from Germany, the remaining quarter from abroad, mainly from Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, England, the US and China.It is currently one of the most visited sites in Humburg, Germany and one of the best sites in the world. 

Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway system in the world and has, in fact, been voted the most popular tourist attraction in Germany. Visitors can admire different countries and even an airport in miniature size.

4. The Miniatur Wunderland has several different stages and sections

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Photo by alex.ch from Zurich, Switzerland on

The Miniatur Wunderland has several different stages and sections including; The Central Germany/Harz, Knuffingen, Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Knuffingen airport , Hamburg – subsection Hafencity and Elbphilharmonie, and Italy. 

Others include; Italy – Subsection Venice, Central Germany / Harz – Subsection Kirmes, Monaco/Provence( currently under construction) , South America, The World From Above, Central America and the Caribbean(planned) , and Asia (planned). 

5. One can take average 3 hours to see the whole layout of Miniatur Wunderland

On average, you need 3 hours to see the whole layout once, but of course, it depends: If you are the speedy type, you could make it in 5 minutes. Other visitors declare that a whole day is not enough to discover everything.

If you want to take part in a guided tour, you should plan for an extra hour.Visitors can admire different countries and even an airport in miniature size.The railway is located in the historic Speicherstadt neighbourhood of the city. 

6. It took just five moths from the initial idea to construction of first section

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Photo by
alex.ch from Zurich, Switzerland on

It took only five months from the initial idea in July 2000 until the construction of the first section started. Just eight months later, in August of 2001, the Miniatur Wunderland opened with its first three theme worlds.

Here you can read how an idea, which at first appeared impossible to realize, turned into a major success.Inspired by their reminiscence, the idea to make a long forgotten childhood dream come true became more and more prominent within hours after seeing the railway model shop. 

7. The Miniatur Wunderland has many employees and three founders

The Miniatur Wunderland has many hardworking, creative and unique employees, who help run the Wunderland everyday and have over the years had so many employees and has grown into a very large brand. It has a total of 360 employees currently. 

The Miniatur Wunderland also has founders who are three in number namely;Frederik Braun, his twin brother Gerrit Braun, and their long time friend Stephan Hertz. With Frederik brought the idea to his twin brother who in turn sought the help of his friend Stephan and together they all participated in founding the Miniatur Wunderland

8. They chose to start their project in Hamburg because all three are Hamburgians

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg. Photo by alex.ch from Zurich, Switzerland on

The three of them are Hamburgians by heart and feel a close connection to their home city as well as responsibility. Therefore, from the beginning, it was clear to the team that the world’s largest model railway would of course be built in Hamburg.

However, looking for a suitable location within the prospering city on the Elbe river proved to be complicated. The task was to find a location that is attractive to both tourists and locals and easily accessible.

9. There are several TV series and documentaries about Miniature Wunderland 

Numerous television stations, magazines and newspapers have already reported on Miniatur Wunderland.

In May 2009, rapper Samy Deluxe filmed the video clip for his socially critical song Stumm in Miniatur Wunderland. Within just one night, about 100 sequences were recorded in which a miniature figure “runs” (stop-motion) through the layout.

On December 5, 2009, the outdoor betting section of the German television show Wetten, dass..? took place at Miniatur Wunderland.The plot of several episodes of the Hamburg crime series Großstadtrevier took place at Miniatur Wunderland

10. Their headquarters are in Humburg, Germany 

Miniatur Wunderland has its headquarter in Humburg, Germany and it is one of a kind in the whole world. Their top officials and founders Frederik Braun, Gerrit Braun and Stephan Hertz have their offices in their headquarters in Humburg. 

The security in the area is one of the highest levels in the world and there is CCTV cameras installed everywhere and it has a huge control room. In January 2016, Miniatur Wunderland partnered with Google MiniView – a miniature version of Google Street View.