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
While working as a junior architect on the Hampstead Garden Suburb in 1907, Charles Paget Wade created a model village, named 'Fladbury' in the rear garden of his lodgings.. It was later relocated to Snowshill Manor, his house in Gloucestershire, where, after falling into disrepair for some years, it can be visited, renamed to 'Wolf's Cove'. 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 and Bourton-on-the-Water 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)
France France Miniature, Élancourt Mini World Lyon Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Park (Paris)
Germany Legoland Deutschland, Günzburg, Bavaria Little Harz, Wernigerode, Saxony-Anhalt 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
England Babbacombe Model Village, Babbacombe, Devon Bekonscot, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire Bourton-on-the-Water model village, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, opened in 1937. Godshill Model Village, Godshill, Isle of Wight Haigh Hall Miniature Railway, Wigan Legoland Windsor, Windsor, Berkshire Pendon Museum, Pendon, Oxfordshire Southport Model Railway Village Tucktonia, Dorset, closed in 1985 Wimborne Model Town 'Wolf's Cove' at Snowshill Manor
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 Pocket Planet Canada, Toronto, Ontario, opened in 2021 Woodleigh Replicas, Burlington, Prince Edward Island, closed Tivoli Miniature World, Jordan, Ontario, closed in the 1990s
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 Choo Choo Barn, Strasburg, Pennsylvania 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, closed 2020 Forbidden Gardens, Katy, Texas, opened in 1997, closed 2011 San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego, California, opened in 1981 Legoland California, Carlsbad, California, opened in 1999 Legoland Florida, Winter Haven, Florida, opened 2011 Legoland New York, Goshen, New York, opened 2021 Northlandz, Raritan Township, New Jersey, opened in 1991
Asia/Pacific Region
Australia Cockington Green Gardens, Canberra
China Beijing World Park Grand World Scenic Park, outskirts of Guangzhou, closed Legoland Shanghai, Shanghai Splendid China, Shenzhen Window of the World, Shenzhen
Indonesia Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta
Japan Legoland Japan, Nagoya, Aichi Small Worlds Miniature Museum, Kōtō, Tokyo (indoor) Tobu World Square, Kinugawa Onsen, Nikkō, Tochigi
Malaysia Islamic Heritage Park, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu Legoland Malaysia, Iskandar Malaysia, Johor Tropical Village, Ayer Hitam, Johor
South Korea Legoland Korea, Chuncheon, Gangwon Province
Thailand Mini Siam, Pattaya, Chonburi Dusit Thani, Phaya Thai, Bangkok,
Middle East Israel
Jerusalem’s Model in the Late 2nd Temple Period, Israel Museum, Israel Mini Israel, Latrun, Israel
Turkey Miniatürk, Istanbul
United Arab Emirates Legoland Dubai, Dubai
References
External links International Association of Miniature Parks: Almost all members are in Europe. Agilitynut feature The Gauge One Model Railway Association