Rio de Janeiro is open!

It is probably the biggest adventure in the history of the Miniatur Wunderland so far - never before has a construction section been created outside of our own workshops.

Together with the Martinez family, it was possible to build Rio de Janeiro authentically from a South American point of view, without relying entirely on our European perspective.

Working across continents and time zones was a big gamble, and in the midst of a pandemic that made personal exchange impossible for a long time. Now we see the result of the past years and can say: It was absolutely the right decision!

In over 60,000 hours of construction, for example, the famous Copacabana was created, the beach that conveys the South Americans' attitude to life in a similar way to the colorful carnival hustle and bustle in the "Sambodromo". More than 11,000 figures are spread over six grandstands here, and at the push of a button three dazzling carnival floats and dancers come to life and samba dance.

The historic district of Santa Teresa is known for its mansions, the artistically designed staircase "Escadaria Selarón" or the yellow streetcars, which seem to come from a bygone era. Approximately 1.5 million euros were invested in the first construction phase of the new building.

If you want to know more about the construction phase of the section, we recommend our video series "How to build South America".

Parallel to the Rio section, another very special section was created in Hamburg from March 2021. On their way into the new building, visitors will have the opportunity to travel once around the world from a bird's eye view.

In the special exhibition "The World from Above," the most beautiful places in the world, such as colorful tulip or rice fields, the rainforest, shimmering salt lakes or the deep blue Pacific, can be admired from the perspective of an airplane. A high-speed train route runs through the colorful landscape, connecting Europe with South America along the way.