Miniature park

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Bekonscot model village

Part of the one-ninth scale model of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England

Bekonscot, in England, was one of the first model villages to become a tourist attraction

There is evidence to suggest the existence of private model villages and miniature parks since the 19th century, but it was only in the 1930s to 1950s that the genre became tourist attractions.^[citation needed] Early examples include Bekonscot in the UK and Madurodam in The Hague.^{[citation needed]}

Variations on a theme

Most model villages and parks are built to a consistent

There has been a move away from the model village concept since the mid- to late 20th century towards a miniature park concept.^[citation needed] Model villages are typically larger-scale, sit in a cohesive miniature landscape and allow viewing and physical interaction with the exhibits, such as publicly accessed streets and urban areas. Miniature parks however, are primarily concerned with the display of exhibits in their own right, viewed from a distance. Model railways, rivers and roads may provide a continuation between miniature parks exhibits.

List of notable miniature parks

Europe

Minimundus

• Minimundus, Klagenfurt

Mini-Europe

• Mini-Europe, Brussels

Denmark

• Legoland Billund, Billund
  (the original Legoland)

• Fredericia
  (circa 1849)
• Kjøge Mini-By [da], Køge (circa 1865)
• Varde
  (circa 1866)
• Kolding
  (circa 1860-1870)

France Miniature

• France Miniature, Élancourt
• Mini World Lyon
• Storybook Land Canal Boats, Disneyland Park (Paris)

Germany

• Legoland Deutschland, Günzburg, Bavaria
• Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg (indoor)

Italia in miniatura

• Italia in miniatura, Rimini

Madurodam

• Madurodam, The Hague

Portugal

• Portugal dos Pequenitos, Coimbra

Russia

• Grand Maket Rossiya, Saint Petersburg (indoor)

Slovakia

• Park miniatúr, Podolie

Spain

• Catalunya

Switzerland

• Swiss Vapeur Parc, Valais

Kyiv in Miniature

• Kyiv in Miniature

An overview of the Babbacombe Model Village

• Babbacombe Model Village, Babbacombe, Devon
• Bekonscot, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
• Bourton-on-the-Water model village, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire
• Haigh Hall Miniature Railway, Wigan
• Legoland Windsor in Windsor
• Pendon Museum, Pendon, Oxfordshire
• Southport Model Railway Village
• Tucktonia, Dorset, closed in 1985
• Wimborne Model Town

Americas

Former Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, Whitby, Ontario

• Canadia Niagara Falls, Ontario, opened in 1966 - closed
• Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, Whitby, Ontario, opened in 1980 - closed in the mid-2000s
• Little Canada, Toronto, Ontario, opened in 2021
• Woodleigh Replicas, Burlington, Prince Edward Island, closed
• Tivoli Miniature World, Jordan, Ontario, closed in the 1990s