This is the world's largest model railway, with new things constantly being added.
Gerrit Braun, Miniatur Wunderland Founder: "We had this vision of recreating the Monaco Grand Prix with real, little Formula One cars racing in it."
"You can't install any tech into these tiny cars. It's impossible."
Some 1200 trains zip throughout Germany, Europe, and the world.
All of this is down to a childhood dream of these twins.
And they've just opened up a brand new area.
Stay tuned as we answer the most frequently asked questions about Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland.
For example: Would you guess that employees have hidden little surprises and stories everywhere? We'll show you the best hidden gems later.
The display has 16.5 km of track. There are also around 300,000 figurines, 5000 buildings and some 500,000 LED lamps that light up at night – which comes every fifteen minutes.
Miniatur Wunderland is housed in old warehouses at Hamburg's port. It all began in 2001. Since then, the founders have constantly expanded and enlarged their miniature worlds. Today, the attraction is around five times its original size.
Gerrit Braun: "Frederik got the idea from our childhood impulse towards play, which we always had. We played so much as children. I really hope that for many people we can reawaken that instinct for playfulness; which can perhaps get lost in the problems of everyday life. Play is the most important thing there is. Realizing your dreams is so important, and can make you so happy."
The Principality of Monaco and France's Provence are now also part of Miniatur Wunderland. As always, in one-to-eighty-seven scale.
On one side the lavender fields in France and, on the other, Monaco's densely built-up bay. Everything the city-state is famous for can be experienced here in miniature: Luxury, glamor, and wealth. In addition to the yachts on the harbor, the Formula One circuit is also part of the cityscape.
Gerrit Braun: "We have a big team that loves to laugh, that's very creative, that goes through the world with their eyes wide open. That all fits with Monaco; a city that is completely crazy, if you want to put it that way, with a huge number of stories to offer – good and bad. You can criticize it, or dream about it. So, it has it all. There's every emotion in this city."
"I don't want people to see how it works. And I want these little things, twenty of them, to be able to drive as they want: Slow down, speed up, really go head-to-head. That vision was always alive for me. I have to say – only a year ago I thought it would be impossible to do."
Gerrit and his team worked on this dream for eleven years. The principle works via magnetic fields that are located under the car and on the track. Self-programmed software controls electrical impulses so that attracting and repelling poles direct the cars along the track. It was a technical challenge, often on the brink of failure. For Gerrit, though, giving up wasn't an option.
Gerrit Braun: "We knew how it would look if it worked, so you can't bury that idea. If you imagine it working, and people standing there in amazement, asking themselves, 'How does it work?' Then you can't give up."
Miniatur Wunderland has fourteen different worlds and theme areas. One of the most popular is Knuffingen: The fictitious city that started it all.
Equally fascinating: Knuffingen Airport, where forty-five different airplanes land and take off. There's one country in particular that seems especially popular, though.
Woman: "We like Switzerland — 'cause we're Swiss!"
Man: "The mountains! They're simply enormous."
Woman: "The Chocolate Factory! We just discovered it there!"
The miniature Swiss factory produces real chocolate at the press of a button.
Gerrit Braun: "Throughout Miniatur Wunderland there are hundreds of Easter eggs — where the person who built something has in some way brought their own self-expression into it. I was looking recently, and you can spot some here and there. I actually discovered this one by chance. I thought: 'What's that?!' Well — the most recent racing car is a tractor."
Seek and ye shall find. Whether it's Pippi Longstocking at home in Villa Villekulla, or lovers in Venice. Wherever you look, Miniatur Wunderland is full of surprises.