Monaco & the Provence
In the immediate surroundings of Italy, the next phase of construction is already underway: from the narrow streets of Monaco and a real Formula 1 Grand Prix, the landscape transitions to the magnificent nature of the French Provence.
Formula 1 in Monaco
You don't have to be a big motorsport fan for the images of Formula 1 to come to mind as one of the first associations with Monaco. A whole eleven years of development and programming went on behind the scenes to make the dream of fast sports cars, roaring engines and glamorous F1 flair possible in little Monaco.
After a long search, a possible concept was found in the Halbach array. The racetrack consists of electronic circuit boards divided into tens of thousands of small “pixels”, each less than a millimeter apart. A traveling magnetic field causes the Halbach array, installed on the underside of the tiny racing car, to move across the track.
During the development process, Gerrit provided insights into progress, ideas and setbacks from time to time in “Gerrit's Diary”. If you are interested in the chronology of Formula 1 history, take a look at the videos on this exciting Formula 1 topic.
Opening of the Formula 1 track
On 26.04. the time has finally come. We are making Formula 1 public and ending 11 years of construction and development work behind closed curtains. Of course, we hope that it will run flawlessly from day 1.
However, from our experience at the airport and the funfair, we know that reality always holds surprises and unpredictable things in store, especially at Wunderland. So please bear with us if there are any downtimes during the first few days and weeks.If you notice an error yourself, we would of course be pleased to hear from you.
Provence
Once you have left the city of Monaco behind you, you can enjoy the tranquillity of this enchanting part of Provence. Even little Wunderland dwellers enjoy the breathtaking nature here, some are out and about on the clear waters of the Verdon Gorge, others visit the ruins of Castelbouc Castle.
High above the water, in the middle of a free-standing mountain massif, lies the picturesque little town of Cantobre. In addition to the rocks, some of the buildings in Provence were also finely hand-carved from plaster. Another eye-catcher: the Notre Dame de Sénanque Abbey in the middle of purple lavender fields.
Tag und Nacht in Monaco
Layout map
A look back at the construction phase
With an area of around two square kilometers, the Principality of Monaco is known to be quite a small country. But depicting it in miniature on just 70 square meters was yet another new challenge for our model construction team. A marina and famous buildings such as the Prince's Palace, the casino, the largest building in the city in the form of the Fairmont Hotel and the Ozeaneum were of course a must.
A lot of love went into the detailed elaboration and the almost perfect condition of the buildings. Where otherwise great effort is often made to age house walls or roofs, giving the impression of decades of dirt, the aim here was to give them an authentic yet not sterile character.
The absolute highlight of Monaco is the Formula 1 circuit, a version of which has been in the works for eleven years. As in the large original, the Formula E race in Monte Carlo is also held alternately on a scale of 1:87.
In Monaco-Ville, the old town of the miniature state, there is still little sign of the hustle and bustle of the Formula 1 race. The houses are lined up close together, from the famous Ozeaneum to St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Prince's Palace. Scenes decorated with loving attention to detail show everyday life along the Mediterranean coast.
A few streets further on, the view opens up onto the harbor with 175 luxurious yachts, while other large superyachts are moored off the city.
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