Austria's Minimundus "edu-tainment" park displays over 150 precise models of architectural wonders. According to its Web site, one model may take 500,000 euros ($672,000) to build, transport and install. These exacting reproductions are constructed on various scales, partly depending on material constraints. Where technically feasible, original materials are used for durability and to mimic the look of the original steel, sandstone, marble or other building materials.
One of the more substantial "miniatures" is 10 meters wide and weighs 20 tons. More elaborate designs can take several years to complete, and some are constructed in several different workshops--requiring careful project management and hundreds of precision drawings to match up parts and adhere to strict scaling requirements.
Here we see Minimundus' reproduction of the Space Shuttle in Florida. If you catch it at the right hour, you can witness a mini-launch.
(CNET News.com thanks sister sites TechRepublic and Webshots for letting us excerpt their content.)
Caption text by Emily Shurr of CNET News.com.
Photo by Webshots user 'berezvai'
