Miniature park

Bekonscot model village

Part of the one-ninth scale model of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England

A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village, or it can contain a number of different sets of models.

History

Bekonscot, in England, was one of the first model villages to become a tourist attraction

There is evidence to suggest the existence of private model villages and miniature parks since the 19th century, but it was only in the 1930s to 1950s that the genre became tourist attractions. Early examples include Bekonscot in the UK and Madurodam in The Hague.

Variations on a theme

Most model villages and parks are built to a consistent scale; varying from 1:76 as used by the intricately detailed Pendon in England up to the 1:9 scale of Wimborne Model Town.

There has been a move away from the model village concept since the mid- to late 20th century towards a miniature park concept. Model villages are typically larger-scale, sit in a cohesive miniature landscape and allow viewing and physical interaction with the exhibits, such as publicly accessed streets and urban areas. Miniature parks however, are primarily concerned with the display of exhibits in their own right, viewed from a distance. Model railways, rivers and roads may provide a continuation between miniature parks exhibits.

List of notable miniature parks

Europe

Minimundus

Austria

• Minimundus, Klagenfurt

Mini-Europe

Belgium

• Mini-Europe, Brussels

Denmark

• Legoland Billund, Billund (the original Legoland)

Many danish towns also have extensive miniature towns from historic periods (normally 1900s). Some of the most significant include:

• Den Historiske Miniby, Fredericia (circa 1849)
• Kjøge Mini-By, Køge (circa 1865)
• Minibyen i Varde, Varde (circa 1866)
• Kolding Miniby, Kolding (circa 1860-1870)

France Miniature

France

• France Miniature, Élancourt
• Mini World Lyon
• Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Park (Paris)

Germany

• Legoland Deutschland, Günzburg, Bavaria
• Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg (indoor)

Italia in miniatura

Italy

• Italia in miniatura, Rimini

Madurodam

Netherlands

• Madurodam, The Hague

Lower Silesia Monuments miniature Park, Kowary

Portugal

• Portugal dos Pequenitos, Coimbra

Russia

• Grand Maket Rossiya, Saint Petersburg (indoor)

Slovakia

• Park miniatúr, Podolie

Model of Sagrada Família in Catalunya en Miniatura

Spain

• Catalunya en Miniatura, Catalunya

Switzerland

• Swiss Vapeur Parc, Valais

Kyiv in Miniature

Ukraine

• Kyiv in Miniature

An overview of the Babbacombe Model Village

Legoland Windsor

United Kingdom

• Babbacombe Model Village, Babbacombe, Devon
• Bekonscot, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
• Bourton-on-the-Water model village, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire
• Haigh Hall Miniature Railway, Wigan
• Legoland Windsor in Windsor
• Pendon Museum, Pendon, Oxfordshire
• Southport Model Railway Village
• Tucktonia, Dorset, closed in 1985
• Wimborne Model Town

North America

Former Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, Whitby, Ontario

Canada

• Canadia Niagara Falls, Ontario, opened in 1966 - closed
• Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, Whitby, Ontario, opened in 1980 - closed in the mid-2000s
• Little Canada, Toronto, Ontario, opened in 2021
• Woodleigh Replicas, Burlington, Prince Edward Island, closed
• Tivoli Miniature World, Jordan, Ontario, closed in the 1990s

Archetypal replica of a German village at the Germany Pavilion in Epcot, Disney World

Palestine Park, Chautauqua, New York

United States

• Tiny Town, Morrison, Colorado, opened in 1921
• Tiny Town, Springfield, Missouri, opened in 1925
• Miniature Railroad & Village, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania opened 1920s
• Ave Maria Grotto, Cullman, Alabama, opened in 1933
• Roadside America, Pennsylvania, opened in 1935
• Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland, California opened in 1956
• Palestine Park, Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York
• Splendid China (Florida), opened in 1993, closed 2003
• Holy Land Experience, Orlando, Florida, the park has a scale model of Jerusalem, Israel
• Forbidden Gardens, Katy, Texas, opened in 1997, closed 2011
• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert, California, opened in 1971
• San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego, California, opened in 1981
• Legoland California, Carlsbad, California, opened in 1999
• Legoland Florida Winter Haven, opened 2011

Asia/Pacific Region

Window of the World, Shenzhen

Australia

• Cockington Green Gardens, Canberra

China

• Splendid China, Shenzhen
• Window of the World, Shenzhen
• Beijing World Park
• Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall (indoor)
• Grand World Scenic Park, outskirts of Guangzhou, closed

Jambi Pavilion in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Indonesia

• Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta

Replica of St Peter's Basilica in Tobu World Square, Japan

Japan

• Tobu World Square, Kinugawa Onsen, Nikkō, Tochigi
• Legoland Japan, Nagoya, Aichi

Malaysia

• Islamic Heritage Park, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
• Legoland Malaysia, Iskandar Malaysia, Johor
• Tropical Village, Ayer Hitam, Johor

Mini Siam

Thailand

• Mini Siam, Pattaya, Chonburi
• Dusit Thani, Phaya Thai, Bangkok, closed

Middle East

Israel

• Jerusalem’s Model in the Late 2nd Temple Period, Israel Museum, Israel
• Mini Israel, Latrun, Israel

Hagia Sophia at Miniatürk

Turkey

• Miniatürk, Istanbul

External links

• International Association of Miniature Parks: Almost all members are in Europe.
• Agilitynut feature
• The Gauge One Model Railway Association
• The Miniature Plant Files Database at All Things Miniature