A journey from Patagonia to Antarctica

Miniatur Wunderland opens the gates to a new world full of natural spectacles.

After four years of work on two continents, over 50,000 working hours and almost 2,000,000 euros in construction costs, the new Patagonia section of Miniatur Wunderland was opened today at 1:50 pm. The 65 square meter installation complements the neighbouring Rio de Janeiro in the South America World and adds a wonderful attraction to Wunderland.

“I personally had the good fortune to travel to Patagonia almost 20 years ago. I have never been able to get this breathtaking and beautiful nature out of my head. The endless expanses make you feel very small as a human being. Since then, I have always dreamed of having Patagonia in Wonderland at some point. Now it is a reality and the almost impossible has been achieved. We have been able to capture the beauty and vastness of this landscape on these 65 square meters,” says Wunderland founder Frederik Braun.

A storm is brewing, the sea is getting rough and the sky is darkening. The sun disappears at one end and rises at the other end of the Andes mountain range, bathing the vast land in golden light. That’s how beautiful Patagonia is and it has now been immortalized at least as beautifully in Wunderland.

With the new section, the team has scaled new heights of model-making skill and technology and impresses with incredible scenery that you could almost forget isn’t real. One of the highlights is the infamous Drake Passage. The strait between Antarctica and Cape Horn has already brought many sailors to their limits or even to their end due to the temperamental swell. This natural spectacle is recreated extremely realistically using an elaborate combination of complex wave mechanics and visual projections. The entire mechanical system contains the most technical components ever installed in a Wunderland ride. The play of light, which simulates not only day and night but also a threatening thunderstorm, offers a unique experience. In this moment of the forces of nature, despite their miniature size, you feel very small.

“Perhaps it is precisely because this vastness of the landscape triggers a certain feeling that Patagonia is a unique work of art for me. With the new technologies, attention to detail and boundless creativity, the team has once again outdone itself and it simply makes me happy to stand here and admire the result together with everyone once again. In the last few decades, in which we have reinvented ourselves time and again, this opening doesn’t leave me cold either. Quite the opposite,” says Gerrit Braun, describing his emotional state.

The famous Perito Moreno glacier, on the other hand, gives you a feeling of cold. Every few minutes, blocks of ice crash into the water, accompanied by a realistic soundscape and effects in the water. In the background, the summit of the Fitz Roy rises into the air, which, as one of the main attractions in the Argentinian national park Los Glaciares, is of course also a must in the miniature Patagonia.

Like the Rio de Janeiro section before it, Patagonia was also created in collaboration between the Wunderland team and the Martinez family of model builders in Buenos Aires. The long-awaited end of the pandemic meant that visits were also possible again to perfect the model layout together on site. The end result is impressive and the new technologies that have been developed offer guests an unforgettable experience that has never been seen before.

The opening was also attended by some familiar faces, who were able to take a first look at the world of the Andes, glaciers and penguins. These included Arved Fuchs, German polar explorer and author, and the Second Mayor of Hamburg, Katharina Fegebank.

Patagonia will be followed by the rainforest with the Amazon and Andes at the turn of the year 2024/2025 and the Caribbean in 2025/2026. Subsequently, parts of Asia are planned. These will then be located above South America on the 4th floor of the new warehouse. Until then, the floor will be used for special exhibitions and a huge opening in the ceiling will provide a spectacular view of the South American sections being built.