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
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
Austria
Minimundus, Klagenfurt
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: , Fredericia (circa 1849) , Køge (circa 1865) , Varde (circa 1866) , Kolding (circa 1860-1870)
France
France Miniature, Élancourt
Mini World Lyon
Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Park (Paris)
Germany
Legoland Deutschland, Günzburg, Bavaria
Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg (indoor)
Italy
Italia in miniatura, Rimini
Netherlands
Madurodam, The Hague
Portugal
Portugal dos Pequenitos, Coimbra
Russia
Grand Maket Rossiya, Saint Petersburg (indoor)
Slovakia
Park miniatúr, Podolie
Spain
Catalunya en Miniatura, Catalunya
Switzerland
Swiss Vapeur Parc, Valais
Ukraine
Kyiv in Miniature
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
Americas
Brazil
Mini Mundo, Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, opened in 1981
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
Chile
, Santiago, Chile
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, closed 2020
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
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