The Miniature World Reflects Climate Change Issues

• The Miniatur Wunderland museum reflects real social problems.
• New exhibitions include themes of ecology and modern technologies.
• The owners strive to create a balance between the positive and negative aspects of life.

HAMBURG, Germany — Peter Martines has been fascinated by miniatures since childhood, observing how his father creates old miniature steel models. Now his family business, United Scale Arts, collaborates with the Miniatur Wunderland museum, which has the largest model railway in the world, to create new exhibitions that depict parts of South America, such as the tropical forest of the Amazon. It is important that these models reflect real problems, including poverty, crime, and ecological issues.

In previous exhibitions in Hamburg, small trains transported coal to mines, and they also showed how at power plants shovels transport turbine blades. The models do not shy away from depicting reality in the Amazon, demonstrating scenes of illegal logging, deforestation, and forest fires.

Visitors to Miniatur Wunderland can enjoy various miniature landscapes that include replicas of famous cities, such as Las Vegas and Rio de Janeiro. The Braun brothers, Gerrit and Frederik, who founded the museum, initially had different plans, but over time realized that it was necessary to update the exhibitions to reflect modern technologies, such as electric vehicles and wind turbines.

They also do not shy away from political themes. In 2017, a model of a concrete wall was introduced in the museum, and in 2019 an exhibition was launched that highlights animal welfare in industrial farming. Martines emphasizes that it is important to depict both positive and negative aspects so that visitors can learn from these models.

Tags: Ecology