For 14 years now, the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt warehouse district has been visited by several thousand people every day. Almost 13,000,000 visitors of all sizes have passed through the old warehouse. Unfortunately, this rush has had an impact on the stability of the building.
An expert assessment that was commissioned came to the conclusion that the vibrations caused by visitors have an impact on the statics of the building. Built in 1888, the warehouse stands on oak piles and was originally designed to store large loads still. Due to the great popularity of Miniatur Wunderland, people with a total weight of around 96,000,000 kilograms come to the exhibition every year. To make matters worse, the proportion of women is now just under 45%. The high-heeled shoes, which are particularly popular with the ladies, transfer body weight to the floor at certain points and cause particularly heavy vibrations. As a result, the oak piles are constantly vibrating and gaps form in the sediment.
There is a risk that so-called water exchange zones could develop, which in turn could lead to the oak piles rotting and the warehouse sinking into the canal. The report calls for immediate action. “I am still shocked. When we decided on the Speicherstadt 15 years ago, we assumed that our grandchildren would still be able to marvel at the wonderland at this location. We never expected that our visitors would cause the warehouse to sink,” explains Wunderland founder Frederik Braun, visibly moved.
An expert commission was immediately formed to prevent the sinking. “A few days ago, my brother Frederik came running up to me with the words “Houston – we have a problem”. After he told me the story, I realized that we had to act immediately. In the days that followed, I locked myself away with our best technicians and worked tirelessly on a solution,” says Gerrit Braun.
An immediate catalog of measures was drawn up to prevent the sinking. As of today, all visitors must wear slippers. All visitors are allowed to bring their own slippers and can store their street shoes in the wardrobe free of charge. The only requirement is that they must have a fur or flowing sole. It is also possible to borrow slippers up to size 46 free of charge at the entrance. Visitors whose feet are larger than 46 can borrow a floating belt at the entrance. Helium balloons are attached to this elaborately developed belt to ensure a softer step and thus reduce vibrations.
“We very much hope that the measures of the so-called “Vibration Troika” are concrete enough and that Wunderland can be saved from sinking,” says Frederik Braun pleadingly on April 1.
