Swissminiatur, Miniature park in Melide, Switzerland.
Swissminiatur is a miniature park displaying 133 scaled models of Swiss landmarks and structures at 1:25 scale, arranged across landscaped grounds. The site contains 3,560 meters of miniature railway tracks where 20 trains run continuously through the entire area.
Pierre Vuigner founded Swissminiatur in 1959 after selling his possessions to finance the project, inspired by the Dutch park Madurodam. This establishment marked the beginning of a distinctive Swiss tourist attraction that represents the nation in miniature form.
You can spot replicas of famous Swiss buildings like the Parliament in Bern and historic castles throughout the grounds, showing how these structures matter to the country's identity.
The grounds are easy to navigate on foot, with clear paths between the miniature models and railway routes throughout the space. The best time to visit is during dry weather, when the transportation systems operate smoothly and the model details are most visible.
The park features working miniature transportation systems including functional cable cars, funiculars, and boats moving across small water bodies. These moving elements run continuously and show how Swiss transport networks operate in action, bringing the scaled models to life in a way static displays cannot achieve.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
