Around 10 million euros are invested in new sections | Wunderland builds South America in Argentina.
This August, Miniatur Wunderland will be 18 years old and thus come of age. Time to think about the future. It will be very different from what was planned a few years ago. Somehow typical for almost 18.
In March, a new rental agreement was signed for the expansion of Wunderland in the Speicherstadt. A further 3,000 square meters are to be connected to Wunderland on the other side of the canal.
The Monaco and Provence section is currently being built as the last section in the existing building for the time being. Gerrit Braun and his team are trying to develop a completely new type of technology here. The vision is to create a miniature Formula 1 race using scalable magnetic fields. It remains to be seen whether this will really work. “Next to our airport, a miniature Formula 1 race is the most technically challenging project in the history of Wunderland. We have just got the first cars driving on a test track. However, we still have a long way to go before we can reproduce F1 races with different driving characteristics and overtaking maneuvers,” reports Gerrit Braun. The opening is planned for November 2020.
Even before that, a small but very detailed section of nine square meters will be opened: a new funfair. The previous funfair, which was built in 2001 for the opening of Wunderland, is now being completely overhauled and more than doubled in size. New rides, around 100,000 LEDs and many technical gadgets will be the highlight of one of the original sections of Wunderland. The new funfair will be officially opened in November 2019.
However, the most spectacular project by far is undoubtedly the expansion of the site. England was originally planned on the other side of the Fleet. However, this idea has now been replaced by the biggest adventure in the history of Wunderland: “We have already completed our Brexit, so to speak,” explains Frederik Braun with a wink, adding: “25% of our guests now come from abroad. For many, Europe looks very similar. Old houses, small towns, meadows, fields, forests and the occasional mountain. We have therefore decided to create completely new worlds. We are starting this project with the South America section. The idea came to us in New York when we met a family from Argentina who were completely crazy – in an entirely positive sense.”
In the summer of 2017, the vision was born: to build South America in South America, together with this wonderful family. The South American continent is vastly different from Europe. While Europe is filled with bright lights and civilization, South America offers the exact opposite: the last unexplored regions of the Amazon Delta, myths, breathtaking nature, and vibrant cities. Bringing all this to life authentically, from a workshop thousands of kilometers away in Hamburg, is nearly impossible—especially since, fortunately, there is no Google Maps for the rainforest or Antarctica yet.
That’s why, for the past year, Wunderland has been working in a suburb of Buenos Aires on its boldest project ever, in collaboration with the Martinez family. Wunderland’s model builders and a team of 15 South Americans are constructing this stunning new section. The first phase will cover 200 square meters, featuring landscapes from the Amazon, the Andes, Rio de Janeiro, and even Antarctica.
“The South America project is both an adventure and a fairy tale,” says Gerrit Braun. “The father of the family, Ricardo Martinez, a passionate and slightly crazy model builder and drummer, first discovered Miniatur Wunderland through a documentary on Deutsche Welle in 2002. He recorded it on VHS and played it over and over again for his four children. They practically grew up with this VHS tape and our YouTube channel. They had always dreamed of visiting Wunderland—and now, we’re embarking on an exciting expedition into the unknown together.”
Parallel to the South America section, another very special section is also being built in Hamburg. On the way into the new building, visitors will have the opportunity to travel around the world from a bird’s eye view. In the “The World from Above” exhibition, we will be recreating the most beautiful places in the world from the perspective of a low-flying aircraft. A total of around 10 million euros will be invested in the new sections over the next few years.
“We’re entering an incredibly exciting phase,” says Frederik Braun. “For years, we’ve been expanding Wunderland one section at a time. Now, we’re venturing into completely new territory and embarking on a grand adventure. Will everything turn out the way we imagine? I don’t know yet. But we’ve always strived to outdo ourselves and surprise our visitors. To achieve that, sometimes you have to leave the safe, well-worn paths and explore the unknown. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
Press Kit
In our press kit you will find everything you need to know about Miniatur Wunderland, its history, the people behind it and facts and figures about the attraction.
Video Footage
“How to build South America” – The Documentary
“The future of Wunderland” – The video about the vision
The blog for our new construction section South America
Pictures for download
Right-click on an image and select “Save image as…” to download an image in full resolution.
You can find more pictures in the download area of our press page.
Contact person
kontakt@miniatur-wunderland.de
Tel. 040-300 680 0
