Google’s First ‘Mini’ Street View Shows World’s Largest Model Railway

Today, it’s stepping things down by launching a set of Street View images for the world’s largest model railway, the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, Germany.

More than 200,000 miniature citizens inhabit Miniatur Wunderland, which features a scaled-down Grand Canyon, a miniature Las Vegas, and even a micro replica of Bavaria’s Oktoverfest. Now, for the first time, Street View is getting distinctly smaller. Well Google’s Street View will give you the chance.

The Web giant on Wednesday updated its Maps service with imagery of perhaps the most adorable location yet: Hamburg’s famed Miniatur Wunderland.

Google’s miniature camera vehicle actually drove around in the small world on the roads and the train tracks, weaving through the nooks and crannies to capture all the little details and hidden treasures.

Writing the blog for Google, Wunderland founders, Frederik and Gerrit Braun, said the Street View collaboration was another way to keep their childhood dreams alive. Eventually they started documenting some of the paths less traveled, utilizing camels, snowmobiles, and other means of transportation to capture the most accurate views of the paths we take.

Tresp recommended starting your virtual tour in Wunderland’s oldest section: Knuffingen, “a fictional town situated squarely between the Alps and Harz” where you can visit a farmers market and see firefighters in action.