Planning a Trip to Germany — Any Model Exhibitions Worth Visiting?

[Potaka]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Germany sometime soon, and I'm really interested in checking out some model exhibitions while I'm there. I'm into military models, railway models, and other scale models, so I was wondering if anyone knows about any good model shows or fairs happening in Germany?

From what I've heard, Germany has some big events like INTERMODELLBAU Dortmund, Modellbau Bremen, and Faszination Modellbau Friedrichshafen. Has anyone been to these or other exhibitions? How are they? Are they worth visiting for a model enthusiast?

Any tips on when and where to go, and maybe some advice on what else to check out nearby, would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jakko]

INTERMODELLBAU Dortmund, Modellbau Bremen, and Faszination Modellbau Friedrichshafen.

If you want to visit all of those, you have a good amount of travel ahead. Bremen is pretty far north in Germany, Friedrichshafen in the extreme south, and Dortmund somewhere in the middle 785 km and 7:47 hours by car, says the travel planner I just asked.

Of course, if you're North American, the distances involved are probably trivial to you

 

[Edbert]

Not a scale model (in the way we use the term) exhibit, and definitely not military based, but they do have lots of rail/trains...you can have an amazing day checking out the Madurodam. Not in Germany specifically, but a very short drive (less than 200 miles) from Cologne.

https://www.netherlands-tourism.com/madurodam-a-miniature-park-worth-visiting/

 

[Jakko]

the Madurodam

Just "Madurodam", without "the" Named after a student from Curaçao who joined the Dutch military when the Germans invaded in 1940 and, after surrender, became a resistance fighter and died in Dachau concentration camp shortly before it was liberated. -dam is a somewhat common suffix for placenames in the Netherlands (indicating a town at a place where a river has been dammed), which is probably why it was used for a miniature Netherlands when the park was established.

Not in Germany specifically

Not even not specifically, but not in Germany at all. In fact, almost as far as you can get from the German border and still be in the Netherlands (There are parts of the country still further away from Germany, but that would put you in the area I live in.)

 

[Edbert]

<snip> almost as far as you can get from the German border and still be in the Netherlands

You know very well, based on your earlier post, that is not far at all. Besides it WAS in Germany just a few decades ago.

If you can drive there without a bathroom break, you're almost there already ;-)

 

[Potaka]

If you want to visit all of those, you have a good amount of travel ahead. Bremen is pretty far north in Germany, Friedrichshafen in the extreme south, and Dortmund somewhere in the middle 785 km and 7:47 hours by car, says the travel planner I just asked.

Of course, if you're North American, the distances involved are probably trivial to you

Thanks for the info! Visiting all three would definitely be exhausting, so I'm thinking of just picking one for now. By the way, do you happen to know of any other exhibitions worth checking out? Ideally, I'd love to bring one of my own models and connect with fellow enthusiasts there.

 

[Potaka]

Not a scale model (in the way we use the term) exhibit, and definitely not military based, but they do have lots of rail/trains...you can have an amazing day checking out the Madurodam. Not in Germany specifically, but a very short drive (less than 200 miles) from Cologne.

https://www.netherlands-tourism.com/madurodam-a-miniature-park-worth-visiting/

Thanks for sharing—this place looks really interesting!

 

[blakeh1]

There is Minitaur Wunderland in Hamburg

 

[blakeh1]

You can actually use google maps street view to "tour" various areas of the layout!

https://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/miniatur-wunderland/

like this spot in the Hamburg section of the layout

 

[Jakko]

You know very well, based on your earlier post, that is not far at all.

Yes, it only adds about 575 km and 6:30 hours to the trip (That is, Bremen → Dortmund → Scheveningen → Friedrichshafen compared to not going via Scheveningen.)

Besides it WAS in Germany just a few decades ago.

No, it wasn't, and has never been in Germany. You are alluding to the Second World War, in which the Netherlands remained an independent country even as far as Germany was concerned — it was occupied, but never annexed or otherwise incorporated into Germany. It was once part of the Holy Roman Empire, but it's a bit of a stretch to call that "Germany" in anything like the modern sense, and anyway, de facto left it in 1581 (de jure in 1648).

do you happen to know of any other exhibitions worth checking out?

Sorry, no … I don't generally go to model shows, especially not abroad, because of the distance to travel. However, Scalemates has a calendar of upcoming events that may help?

There is Minitaur Wunderland in Hamburg

I've never been there, but I definitely would if I found myself in the Hamburg area.

 

[Edbert]

Yes, it only adds about 575 km and 6:30 hours to the trip

Just about the time it takes to drive from Central Texas (San Antonio) to North Texas (Dallas), which is an easy trip for most people.

6-7 hours (using your round-trip figures) is not even that long, you can drive for 13-14 hours one-way (and we have 75/80mph highways) and never leave Texas.

My point was, if you like miniatures/trains/models, and are already in Germany this would be a good place to checkout since it is just a short distance away. I'm positive that if you use Cologne as a starting point that you could drive much farther and still be in Germany, so crossing a border is irrelevant.

 

[BarleyBop]

you can drive for 13-14 hours and never leave Texas

...I had a car like that once too!

 

[Jakko]

6-7 hours (using your round-trip figures) is not even that long

There's that quote: In America a hundred years is a long time, in Europe a hundred {miles|kilometers} is a long way.

you can drive for 13-14 hours one-way (and we have 75/80mph highways) and never leave Texas.

From where I live, that will take you across at least two national borders even if you head east, taking you through Germany and Poland; you might even make it as far as the Ukrainian border in that time if you press on. Go south instead and you'll probably cross three — or five if you decide to go via Andorra

 

[Edbert]

There's that quote: In America a hundred years is a long time, in Europe a hundred {miles|kilometers} is a long way.

That's a good one! The house my grandmother was born in has a "historical marker" on it, constructed 1851.


This one is quite old but seems applicable...

Heaven:
Where the police are British
The cooks are French
The mechanics German
The lovers Italian
Everything is run by the Swiss

Hell:
Where the chefs are British
The mechanics French
The lovers Swiss
The police German
Everything is run by the Italians

 

[locomotive]

In the EU it has been said…
The British make the rules,
The Germans enforce the rules,
The Italians ignore the rules,
The French didn't know there was any feckin rules!

 

[Jakko]

In the EU it has been said…
The British make the rules,

The UK insisted that foreigners would only be able to stay in the EU for 90 days out of every 180. And then they did a Brexit

 

[locomotive]

The UK insisted that foreigners would only be able to stay in the EU for 90 days out of every 180. And then they did a Brexit

No we didn't, that was the EU made that rule because we never signed the Schengen Agreement.
Because we're feckin idiots!
I laugh myself sick at those who voted for brexit and now complain they can't stay in their French homes for 91 days… twats.
I was a remainder for lots of reasons.
Mostly though because I'm NOT afraid of foreigners!

 

[Potaka]

There is Minitaur Wunderland in Hamburg

That looks wonderful. I love it.

 

[Potaka]

You can actually use google maps street view to "tour" various areas of the layout!

https://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/miniatur-wunderland/

like this spot in the Hamburg section of the layout

View attachment 151156

Wow! Excellent! I can visit it through google map!

 

[Potaka]

No we didn't, that was the EU made that rule because we never signed the Schengen Agreement.
Because we're feckin idiots!
I laugh myself sick at those who voted for brexit and now complain they can't stay in their French homes for 91 days… twats.
I was a remainder for lots of reasons.
Mostly though because I'm NOT afraid of foreigners!

Haha, politics aside, traveling in Europe definitely comes with its own set of rules and quirks! Hopefully everyone can enjoy their trips and experiences despite the red tape.

 

[Jakko]

No we didn't, that was the EU made that rule

I can't find anymore where I read this once, but AFAIK the EU made that rule because the UK wanted it.

Mostly though because I'm NOT afraid of foreigners!

+1

 

[Jakko]

traveling in Europe definitely comes with its own set of rules and quirks!

TBH, once you're through passport control at an external border (for Americans: be sure to take the lane for non-Schengen citizens, AKA "foreigners" ), you can go where you like within the Schengen area without any hassle at the border — except for the fact that some countries (chiefly Germany) have been instituting checks at borders with other EU countries again. This despite these being illegal except if they're temporary and for a specific purpose. (Germany, of course, claims they are. IMHO they should be told to stop it.)

Other than that, if you intend to drive in Europe then it's probably mainly traffic rules and especially traffic signs you will want to read up on before you go. About the only traffic sign you'll see that's familiar to you, will be STOP. And there will be far fewer of those than in North America, because there pretty much are no four-way stops in Europe. Instead, get over your fear of roundabouts

 

[Potaka]

TBH, once you're through passport control at an external border (for Americans: be sure to take the lane for non-Schengen citizens, AKA "foreigners" ), you can go where you like within the Schengen area without any hassle at the border — except for the fact that some countries (chiefly Germany) have been instituting checks at borders with other EU countries again. This despite these being illegal except if they're temporary and for a specific purpose. (Germany, of course, claims they are. IMHO they should be told to stop it.)

Other than that, if you intend to drive in Europe then it's probably mainly traffic rules and especially traffic signs you will want to read up on before you go. About the only traffic sign you'll see that's familiar to you, will be STOP. And there will be far fewer of those than in North America, because there pretty much are no four-way stops in Europe. Instead, get over your fear of roundabouts

Thanks for the heads-up! I'll definitely brush up on traffic signs—and mentally prepare for the roundabouts I had no idea STOP signs were such a rarity in Europe. As for border checks… sounds like a bit of a moving target, but I'll keep my passport handy just in case!

 

[Jakko]

I had no idea STOP signs were such a rarity in Europe.

They usually appear only where it's important enough. Most places, though, the rule is to give way (yield) to traffic coming from your right, if you approach at approximately the same time. And note that this includes cyclists, not just cars and motorbikes. If you are required to give way to traffic from both directions, there will be a triangular white sign with a red border, point down, and at least in Germany and the Netherlands, usually a row of triangles painted across the road:

 

[Edbert]

In America, traffic rules say that the minivan has the right-of-way over the moped. Since they both have yield signs (similar rule if both had stop signs) the person turning left always yields to those going straight.

At a stop the 1st person can proceed before the 2nd person regardless of left-turn rules. But with both having a yield, or if both have a green light, left -turners always yield.

Same?

 

[Jakko]

In America, traffic rules say that the minivan has the right-of-way over the moped. Since they both have yield signs (similar rule if both had stop signs) the person turning left always yields to those going straight.

In Europe, it's the same: the grey car has right of way because the other two are coming from a street with a give way sign (and painted triangles on the road to make this more obvious). The police car (the one I think you mean by the minivan ) has right of way over the moped, like you say because the moped is turning left while the police car wants to go straight through.

At a stop the 1st person can proceed before the 2nd person regardless of left-turn rules.

This would be very rare situation in Europe, AFAIK, because like I said there are very few stops signs, and pretty much never on two adjacent sides of a crossroads. At best, there would be stop signs instead of the two give-way ones in the picture. Situations where the USA would have four-way stops are almost certainly roundabouts, either full-size ones or mini-roundabouts that are just painted on the middle of the crossroads. Which means you just give way to every vehicle already on the roundabout until there's room for you to enter it (and use your turn signals when approaching the street you want to take off the roundabout, but not before, so drivers waiting at the next one can see they won't need to wait for you).

But with both having a yield, or if both have a green light, left -turners always yield.

Yes.

 

[Potaka]

They usually appear only where it's important enough. Most places, though, the rule is to give way (yield) to traffic coming from your right, if you approach at approximately the same time. And note that this includes cyclists, not just cars and motorbikes. If you are required to give way to traffic from both directions, there will be a triangular white sign with a red border, point down, and at least in Germany and the Netherlands, usually a row of triangles painted across the road:

View attachment 151390

They usually appear only where it's important enough. Most places, though, the rule is to give way (yield) to traffic coming from your right, if you approach at approximately the same time. And note that this includes cyclists, not just cars and motorbikes. If you are required to give way to traffic from both directions, there will be a triangular white sign with a red border, point down, and at least in Germany and the Netherlands, usually a row of triangles painted across the road:

View attachment 151390

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I'll definitely keep an eye out for those signs and the priority rules, especially for cyclists—good to know they're included. Roundabouts and different traffic customs always take some getting used to, but that's part of the fun of driving in Europe, right? Appreciate the heads-up!

 

[Jakko]

As long as you take care not to appear in a video like this, you'll be fine

 

[Potaka]

As long as you take care not to appear in a video like this, you'll be fine

Haha, noted! I'll make sure to stay out of viral videos—and definitely won't try to drive on the left side of the road in Germany! Thanks for the laugh.