Review of the year 2025

The “Ich kann es mir nicht leisten" (I can't afford it) campaign marked the start of the year. Over 16,000 people took advantage of the opportunity to visit Wunderland free of charge.

The “Hauptbahn 0” track section was completely renovated. A year of work and 10,000 working hours have made train traffic in Knuffingen and Austria fit for the coming years.

Hauptbahn 0 was one of the first parts of the Wunderland layout to be built. Three-wire tracks were converted to the two-wire system that has become established at Wunderland. It took three months alone to build the new large spiral track in Austria.

The first Formula 1 season is over. Time for a little fun: the portable toilet, which frequently slid around the test track during the development phase, will now drive around the race track in Monaco during race breaks, surprising spectators.

On February 19, the original Formula 1 cars for the new racing season will be unveiled. The new designs are being built at lightning speed, so the 20 new cars from the 10 teams will also be able to drive to their starting positions in miniature in March.

Die Achterbahn „Voltron“ ist das neue Bauprojekt in der Modelltechnik, das Gerrit künftig mittels der Formel-1-Technologie realitätsnah nachbauen und in Bewegung setzen will. Als weitere Attraktion soll das Modell künftig die Kirmes ergänzen. Ein erster Achterbahn-Prototyp wird innerhalb von drei Monaten gebaut, Berge, Täler, Loopings, Kurven und Schikanen werden daran erfolgreich getestet.

Das Wunderland forderte die Hamburger Feuerwehr heraus – ein komplett elektrisches Löschfahrzeug wird von der Feuerwehr im Modell in den Dienst genommen, nun hat die Hamburger Feuerwehr nachgezogen, Gerrit ist eingeladen, das hochmoderne Fahrzeug kennenzulernen.

On March 7, 2025, Wunderland welcomed its 25,000,000th guest! It was an emotional moment and another significant milestone in the history of our small big world.

Wunderland founder Gerrit Braun welcomed anniversary visitor Dorina Trillitzsch at the entrance. In addition to a colorful shower of confetti, she and her husband were surprised with a certificate and a lifetime ticket each, granting them free admission forever.

The historic trading sailing ship Götheborg now complements shipping traffic in the northeast Baltic Sea off Scandinavia. After several test runs and modifications, the ship was finally launched in March.

In April, we were delighted to welcome influencer Rashid (“Pflegesmile”) to visit us. Together, we are integrating a model scene in which he drinks coffee and chats with “Grandma Lotti.” A touching story of a special friendship!

After almost six months, construction work on the new bistro has been completed and the new restaurant area is reopening.

Our goal was not simply to create “a new bistro,” but a place where the Wunderland feeling is also reflected in the cuisine. The various themed areas of Wunderland are now also reflected in the seating areas.

Take a seat in the train compartment of the Harz narrow-gauge railway through central Germany, the Rheingold or the SJ through the snowy landscape of Scandinavia. Feeling wanderlust? Then hop aboard the Union Pacific – here you can travel across the USA or take the Tren a las Nubes through South America.

YouTuber Aaron Troschke visited Wunderland for a one-day internship in 2024. In June, there was a reunion and Gerrit answered all the questions that Aaron still had or had come up since then.

It has almost become a tradition for us to welcome model builders from IG Mikromodell to Wunderland on Hamburg's harbor birthday. They keep things busy in the North Sea with a variety of ships, submarines, tugboats, and more.

Wunderland is sponsoring “Büchertürme” (book towers), a Hamburg initiative that promotes reading among schoolchildren. Gerrit holds a

The renovation of the entrance area follows on from the bistro renovation. The newly positioned ticket office area creates more space at the cloakroom and the entrance and exit.

The new ticket booking system goes live, making online booking clearer from now on.

The virtual reality experiences at Wunderland break the 500,000 guest mark in June! Following a new version of the 30-minute experience last year, a new 10-minute experience is being developed and programmed for 2025. The “Wunderland Mini Games” experience is expected to launch at the beginning of 2026.

100th episode of Gerrit's Diary: The first episode of Gerrit's Diary went online on YouTube in 2009. In July, we published the 100th episode. We worked our way through a total of 24 hours, 36 minutes, and 5 seconds of material, interviewed friends and companions, and compiled stories and memories from over 16 years of Gerrit's Diary.

The travel portal Tripadvisor evaluates thousands of guest reviews of various attractions and activities and ranks Wunderland as one of the top one percent of all activities worldwide.

The total amount of donation pins exceeds €1 million! Since 2007, we have been collecting donations for children in need and many other important projects. We have produced a wide variety of pins and magnets with Wunderland motifs and sell them for a minimum of €3.90 at Wunderland and in our online shop. The entire €3.90 is donated. We cover all taxes and manufacturing costs, etc. In July, we broke the million euro mark. THANK YOU for your generosity and for having your hearts in the right place!

JP Performance visits Wunderland. Over a million viewers accompany JP and Gerrit on YouTube as they tour the exhibition, passing Monaco's race track and visiting the model-making workshops.

This year, many model builders once again visited the Martinez family's workshops in Pilar. Four years ago, Gerhard began planning the Amazon rainforest. Together with Peter, he will get a first look at the model in September. Thirty thousand trees, the largest of which are 60 cm tall, are gradually decorating the gigantic 107 m² section. Other highlights, such as Machu Picchu, Angel Falls, and the Iguazu Falls, can be seen between the dense canopy.

Meanwhile, in Hamburg, the last gaps in the Atacama Desert landscape are being plastered and designed. The Chilean port city of Valparaiso is now adorned with a multitude of colorful houses and loving details.

Bildschirmblick ("Screen View") – A song and passion project by Frederik and Johanna Braun about smartphone use is shaping November – humorous, thought-provoking, and with an important message for children, parents, and anyone who longs for more real life.

Along with the song, an impressive music video and two dioramas have been created: two worlds – one with smartphones, one without – impressively show how different our everyday lives can be. Johanna and Frederik appeared on the NDR talk show with the model.

In the end, the song “Bildschirmblick” enters the German singles charts at number 13. Many thanks to everyone who supported us by purchasing a vinyl, CD, download, or stream. Together, we were able to raise awareness for clearer rules on smartphone use in schools and support the work of the “Kinder brauchen Musik” foundation with the proceeds.

Mit dem Schloss Vaduz zieht das Fürstentum Liechtenstein ins Wunderland ein und ergänzt den Schweiz-Abschnitt. Das Schloss setzt sich aus ca. 1.500 individuell angefertigten Einzelteilen zusammen und wurde über mehrere Monate in mühevoller Arbeit originalgetreu nachempfunden.

TUI zeichnet das Wunderland aus: TUI hat erstmals ein umfangreiches Museums-Ranking für Deutschland vorgestellt und 1.200 beliebte Museen in Deutschland verglichen. Mit einem beeindruckenden Score von 10,676 Punkten belegt das Miniatur Wunderland den ersten Platz und ist damit Deutschlands beliebtestes Museum. Auch im europaweiten Vergleich beeindruckt das Wunderland: Unter 13.000 Museen in ganz Europa landet es auf einem hervorragenden 3. Platz.

During the kindergarten days, over 20,000 children visit us and go on an adventure in the festively decorated Wunderland. Seeing the children's eyes light up is always a great joy!