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Inside The $50 Million Miniature World

Explore the world's largest miniature world in Hamburg, featuring 1,000+ trains, a massive airport, and detailed global sections with advanced tech.

Key Takeaways

  • Miniature Wonderland is a highly sophisticated and technologically advanced miniature world.
  • The scale and detail of the models are extraordinary, with thousands of trains, buildings, and figurines.
  • The project required extensive time, money, and international collaboration to achieve realism.
  • Innovative tech solutions power autonomous vehicle movements and realistic airport operations.
  • The exhibit offers a unique blend of entertainment, engineering, and cultural representation.

What the video covers

  • Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg is the world's largest miniature world, built with over 1 million man-hours and costing over 45 million euros.
  • It features the world's largest RC scale train railway with 16 km of tracks and over 1,000 trains.
  • The miniature world includes 12,000 wagons, 10,000 buildings, and 300,000 miniature human figurines.
  • The Ningan International Airport took 6 years and 4 million euros to build, featuring over 45 different miniature airplanes and realistic airport operations.
  • Vehicles like fire trucks and cars are programmed to autonomously recharge and operate within the miniature world.
  • The exhibit includes detailed sections representing Scandinavia, Italy, the USA, and more, with realistic landscapes and features like fjords and snowy areas.
  • The USA section includes Las Vegas, Florida, and a detailed Area 51 with sci-fi and conspiracy-themed miniatures.
  • Behind-the-scenes technology includes in-house built software and hardware that controls the complex operations of the trains and vehicles.
  • Collaborations with international model builders add authenticity and detail to various sections.
  • Miniature Wonderland also features cultural and sports elements, such as football pitches in Brazilian favelas.

Answers

Questions about this video

Where is Miniature Wonderland located?

Miniature Wonderland is located in Hamburg, Germany.

How long did it take to build the Ningan International Airport section?

The Ningan International Airport took over 6 years to build and cost more than 4 million euros.

What makes the trains and vehicles in Miniature Wonderland unique?

The trains and vehicles are programmed with in-house software to operate autonomously, including self-charging when their batteries run low.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:02
Speaker A
What's up? We're at the world's largest miniature world, which basically took over 1 million man-hours to make over 45 million. This is also the world's largest RC scale train railway in the world. There's also a miniature airport, a lot going on, over 1,000 trains, and today I'm going to show you guys around. So, uh, let's have a closer look.
00:20
Speaker A
going on over 1 th000 trains and today I'm going to show you guys around so uh let's have a closer look later I've traveled to Hamburg Germany to check out the impressive miniature Wonderland an intricate miniature world that's as big as London's hide Park 12
00:39
Speaker A
Later, I've traveled to Hamburg, Germany, to check out the impressive Miniature Wonderland, an intricate miniature world that's as big as London's Hyde Park. Twelve separate sections representing different areas around the world are connected by a Guinness Book of World Records longest model railway that's 16 km of railway tracks, which is like two Mount Everests stacked on top of each other. And if you combine all the mileage on the trains, it's enough to go around the world 26 times.
00:53
Speaker A
combine all the mileage on the trains it's enough to go around the world 26 times a total of40 trains 12,000 wagons over 10,000 buildings and more than 300,000 little miniature human figurines populate this tiny universe we're about to walk around this huge miniature World
01:14
Speaker A
A total of 40 trains, 12,000 wagons, over 10,000 buildings, and more than 300,000 little miniature human figurines populate this tiny universe. We're about to walk around this huge miniature world, check out the behind-the-scenes of how this incredible operation has kept running, and meet the creators who, by the way, even created a little miniature Supercar Blondie herself, which will remain part of Miniature Wonderland's Monaco section forever. So if you ever go, see if you can find her.
01:28
Speaker A
see if you can find her our first first stop on the miniature Wonderland train journey ningan International Airport which took an incredible €4 million and6 years to build all right now this is the world's largest miniature airport it's also the
01:46
Speaker A
Our first stop on the Miniature Wonderland train journey: Ningan International Airport, which took an incredible €4 million and 6 years to build. All right, now this is the world's largest miniature airport. It's also the world's first miniature airport. So you have over 400 planes in Miniature Wonderland. Take a look. You have Air France, you have Condor, you have FedEx planes, you have Lufthansa, you have Europcar here for your car rentals.
02:03
Speaker A
[Music] ready and he's off now the airport is called ningan airport it's made up but it took over 6 years to build over4 million and it's over 150 M squared you're going to see there's over 45 different airplanes you
02:23
Speaker A
He's going to take off. Ready, and he's off now. The airport is called Ningan Airport. It's made up, but it took over 6 years to build, over 4 million, and it's over 150 square meters. You're going to see there's over 45 different airplanes. You have A380s, you have CNAs, you have Star Wars craft, you know, you have everyone doing their job. You have the, you know, storage trucks driving around, you have the airplanes taxiing for takeoff, you have people handling the luggage, the gas over there. So let's go through this.
02:37
Speaker A
over there so let's go through this all right look so we're underneath miniature Wonderland right now so you can see kind of the bones so here a lot less decorated but you have you know wooden columns you can see that the surface is
02:50
Speaker A
All right, look, so we're underneath Miniature Wonderland right now, so you can see kind of the bones. So here, a lot less decorated, but you have, you know, wooden columns. You can see that the surface is actually just kind of like a plaster, and you still have the trains and cars kind of driving around. You have some in the back going about their business.
03:05
Speaker A
out of battery they're programmed to drive through the back and charge themselves so if you look closely for example the fir truck has these little metallic bits on the sides so these metallic bits that stick up they run
03:18
Speaker A
And what's cool is that all the individual trucks and cars, when they run out of battery, they're programmed to drive through the back and charge themselves. So if you look closely, for example, the fire truck has these little metallic bits on the sides. So these metallic bits that stick up, they run through here, and they get charged through these other metal plates. And when they're done charging, they reverse by themselves, get out of here, and go back to the airport. It's super impressive.
03:32
Speaker A
from the outside it looks easy and it just flows right but you have Tech everywhere you know the software is built inhouse the hardware is built in-house basically we have all this programming that makes everything work when we go to the other
03:44
Speaker A
There's so much software engineering behind all of this. Like, from the outside, it looks easy and it just flows right, but you have tech everywhere. You know, the software is built in-house, the hardware is built in-house. Basically, we have all this programming that makes everything work.
03:59
Speaker A
didn't know I would literally think that the security screen yeah is like an actual Airport [Music] moving on from singan airport I then headed over to Scandinavia and checked out the fjords this took 140,000 hours and it's got a surface area of 300
04:45
Speaker A
When we go to the other side, you're going to see the behind-the-scenes. So when an airplane takes off from the public view, it goes through kind of that little cloth, lands here, and then it'll do the cycle all over again. It's so funny. If I didn't know, I would literally think that the security screen is like an actual airport.
05:00
Speaker A
completely goes end to end on the other side is a snowy area and it's got 2 km of railroads so you're going to see that going this way but throughout Scandinavia 2 km 2,000 [Music] M the railway runs throughout the whole
05:25
Speaker A
Moving on from Ningan Airport, I then headed over to Scandinavia and checked out the fjords. This took 140,000 hours, and it's got a surface area of 300 square meters. You have actually 30,000 liters of real water. Look at the size of this cruise ship. Huge. This, if you flipped it over, if you poked a hole in it, it would actually sink. 30,000 liters of real water.
05:43
Speaker A
luxer that's the pyramid and then you have all the whole kind of amusement parks inside the city King Kong's at the top of the tower do you see that in the middle King Kong and then you have your Drive-In
05:58
Speaker A
It completely goes end to end. On the other side is a snowy area, and it's got 2 km of railroads. So you're going to see that going this way. But throughout Scandinavia, 2 km, 2,000 meters, the railway runs throughout the whole of Wonderland, traveling through Hamburg, Italy, and into the USA, where we checked out Las Vegas and Florida, and then my favorite, Area 51.
06:20
Speaker A
would go into this much detail It's So Sophisticated anyways let's move on now below Mount Rushmore you have this little base but doesn't look like much is going on but here we have a button that says Area 51 so watch what happens
06:33
Speaker A
So moving past the Nevada desert, you have Vegas. So in the middle, you have the Luxor, that's the pyramid, and then you have all the whole kind of amusement parks inside the city. King Kong's at the top of the tower. Do you see that in the middle? King Kong. And then you have your drive-in cinema. I think that's going to turn on. Oh, can you imagine? They played a whole movie now. Rocket's taken off. This is cool.
06:54
Speaker A
there like you have a portal opening up maybe they discovered how to travel to different dimension are realities and look there's some aliens inside the portal that's cool dudes with hazmat suits working on something suspicious down there and they have a
07:10
Speaker A
And to be honest, I had some expectations of Miniature Wonderland, but I didn't think that it would go into this much detail. It's so sophisticated. Anyways, let's move on.
07:23
Speaker A
of like the conspiracy corner so even on a miniature level you have the elites trying to dominate the world look if if you look very closely it says Illuminati and one of the panels right there it says Illuminati that's pretty funny and
07:36
Speaker A
Now, below Mount Rushmore, you have this little base, but it doesn't look like much is going on. But here we have a button that says Area 51. So watch what happens if I press it, because it's actually underground just like the real thing.
07:52
Speaker A
de Janeiro so we have obviously the beach we have Christ the Redeemer up there one of the Seven Wonders of the World and this is about 46 square m of surface area you're going to see it go all the
08:06
Speaker A
So there you have like a spaceship maybe being reverse engineered, maybe some American black projects, you know, top secret. Right here you have the little planning board right there. Like you have a portal opening up, maybe they discovered how to travel to different dimensions or realities. And look, there's some aliens inside the portal. That's cool.
08:16
Speaker A
beach being real need to have a [Music] carnival oh yeah this is on my bucket list over here the favellas you know this is where Neymar came from so we can thank the faas for making Neymar they should
08:37
Speaker A
Dudes with hazmat suits working on something suspicious down there, and they have a cow. You know, we never know what's going on in there. But on the other side, you have this sign: International World Domination. This represents like a secret underground military bunker where, look, they filmed the moon landing. This is kind of like the conspiracy corner.
08:51
Speaker A
miniature world was Switzerland I think this is one of the most visually impressive parts of the entire Wonderland because of how high up it goes it's actually two floors you can see people up there on the kind of a
09:06
Speaker A
So even on a miniature level, you have the elites trying to dominate the world. Look, if you look very closely, it says Illuminati, and one of the panels right there says Illuminati. That's pretty funny. And there's the, like a Loch Ness monster submarine for you guys.
09:19
Speaker A
Factory and when I press this button the machines start turning and over here you can see how unwrapped chocolate gets wrapped through this little machine right there so it goes in gets wrapped and then if I'm lucky I'll be able to get a little piece
09:38
Speaker A
To get an understanding of how big this place is, they even had to build a bridge and expand into another building. So we're literally crossing to see Rio de Janeiro. So we have obviously the beach, we have Christ the Redeemer up there, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and this is about 46 square meters of surface area.
10:00
Speaker A
to go down and the concert's going to start okay if you want you can press it to activate DJ Bobo it's DJ boo that's right [Music] B I was Keen to see how a miniature world is even made so I met up with
10:33
Speaker A
You're going to see it go all the way to the end, and it was built in collaboration with South American model builders, the Martinez family, one of the best in the business. And this is what you get. It looks great. Makes me want to go to the beach.
10:43
Speaker A
this with his twin brother and uh one of his friends yes so okay how did you go about starting all of this um we had a nightclub dancing all the nights and my twin brother was ready for for doing
10:56
Speaker A
Being real, need to have a carnival. Oh yeah, this is on my bucket list. Over here, the favelas. You know, this is where Neymar came from, so we can thank the favelas for making Neymar. They should have a little football pitch somewhere around here.
11:06
Speaker A
future wow okay okay did you guys have any kind of background in that space not really we played with our model trains being a child is everything made by hand you guys nearly the small figurines not all you can buy them but um most of the
11:25
Speaker A
All right, this is the area. This is where some of the best football players in the world are made. Mini football pitches in the favelas in Brazil.
11:40
Speaker A
everything else is made by hand so you painted the flamingos if you consider the the scale of the entire miniature world just even even drilling the Ho by hand one by one it just yeah it's a lot of 3,000
11:58
Speaker A
Next up on my trip around this miniature world was Switzerland. I think this is one of the most visually impressive parts of the entire Wonderland because of how high up it goes. It's actually two floors. You can see people up there on the kind of a balcony. I poke my head out right behind that bridge at the beginning of the video.
12:11
Speaker A
um gets in um takes $100,000 to build in um the first one to bring it to the market so we have to do it by our own create them on the computer then 3D printing then painting and put together you can't buy them so
12:28
Speaker A
So next to the mountainous region, what is Switzerland also known for? It's chocolate, and they have a chocolate factory. It's actually a Lindt chocolate factory. And when I press this button, the machines start turning.
12:46
Speaker A
because um in the normal word two or 3% are electric on our layout nothing because no man there are no manufacturers for electric models so we have to do it by our own I'd also heard that miniature Wonderland had created
13:01
Speaker A
And over here, you can see how unwrapped chocolate gets wrapped through this little machine right there. So it goes in, gets wrapped, and then if I'm lucky, I'll be able to get a little piece of chocolate for myself. There you go.
13:16
Speaker A
special project right now she's actually working let me see if you guys can guess who this is ready take a closer look does that ring a bell that looks awfully familiar with the hat and the blonde hair and the
13:29
Speaker A
And this is not just for show. I mean, you open it up, it's actually wrapped, and you have real Lindt chocolate. Okay, right. Take.
13:44
Speaker A
Alex the price the price of the pants just went up the little things alive that's right that's right it's amazing what a couple of dots can do that's that actually looks a lot more like Alex now there you go Alex's new home was going
13:54
Speaker A
to be miniature Monaco which boasts a stunning Marina with 175 luxurious yats the picturesque Old Town of monoville and St Nicholas Cathedral and the crown jewel of this miniature Marvel the Formula 1 circuit a highlight that's been in the works for over 11 years and
14:11
Speaker A
cost5 million to create what's crazy is that even the Formula 1 races are live streamed on these little tiny mini TVs and when there's a winner it's also announced and celebrated on the podium just like the real thing so we'll get
14:26
Speaker A
her reviewing here yeah yeah yeah yeah like she's reviewing a car in the middle of Monaco that's actually believable and there she is so ready and she's set in stone that's pretty cool so guys that is what $45 million of miniature world
14:59
Speaker A
looks like hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and I hope mini Alex enjoys her new Mini home as I said earlier if you ever go see if you can find her let us know in the comments what your favorite
15:09
Speaker A
area was make sure to like the video subscribe and see you next time [Music]
Topics:Miniature Wonderlandminiature worldmodel trainsRC scale railwayNingan AirportHamburg Germanysupercar blondiemodel buildingArea 51miniature airport

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