Madurodam, Miniature City, The Hague

We loved madurodam. If you like model railways or miniature objects, this place is paradise. The models are beautifully constructed and very accurate, and the grounds are landscaped with lawns and gardens and hundreds of bonsai trees, many of them 6o years old but only 1/2 metre high! The models are exact replicas of real buildings in Holland. if you are having a trip to the Netherlands it is really worth checking out some of the interesting buildings you might see by going to see them in Madurodam first! Utrecht cathedral, the canals of Amsterdam,many historic houses, the Dutch houses of Parliament, palaces, castles... all accurately reproduced in landscapes. But also windmills, flower markets, industrial buildings, concert hall, all kinds of engineering projects, and some beautiful up to date trains, it has a massive train and transportation system. Many of the models move. You can even get the chocolate factory delivery truck to deliver you a sweet!

Madurodam was named after George Maduro a heroic young man who died in Dachau concentration camp. it is a favourite of the Dutch Royal Family. Right now it is closed, althuogh usually it is open every day. This is because it's being updated to make it more interactive. I'd guess this will make it even better than it is now. My one criicism is that you can't get good food but I think this is often the case in Holland :( lots of stodgy snacks and sweets - with so many children and families I think they should offer more healthy options or good sandwiches and yogurts at least.

Some people have said you only want to spend half an hour here, but I truly think those people must be ones who don't like models. You either like them or you don't but if you do like models and small things, then Madurodam will be a highlight of your stay.

For smaller kids there is a very good woodland playground near the cafe and so you can sit and watch the kids play and also see over the whole of Madurodam.

4 more images

Madurodam is miniature Holland. There are replicas of interesting sites around Holland, but to be honest, they aren't that interesting. Probably 30 minutes to 1 hour and you can see everything. It's really something for kids. Even as a tourist I don't think Madurodam is that interesting, especially not for 13 euros.

What can make it more interesting though are the occasional ice sculpture exhibitions they hold. They don't hold it every year, but one was held in 2006 & 2007 in the spring. Ice sculptures are life size, done by Chinese artists. They don't compare to those of the Snow Festival in Sapporo, Japan, but they are still nice.

The model park was opened in 1952 and renewed in 1996.
You can find the scale models of the most important buildings (castles, churches, bridges, famous houses), well-known quarters of Dutch cities, street scenes and transportation tools.
Entrance fee:
Adults: € 12.00
Children (3-11): € 8.75
Seniors 65+: € 11.00
Open:
Sept-March: 09.00-18.00
April-June: 09.00-20.00
July-August: 09.00-22.00

4 more images

The Madurodam, Miniature City, its a lovely piece of art.
With careful and fine touch, it reflex Holland and her beauty.
We were there around 3 or 4 hours, even though it was raining.
while there, we saw groups of school kids, old people, teenage ,etc, so I believe anyone can enjoyed it.

3 more images

Madurodam is a miniature city on a 1:25 scale, composed of typical Dutch buildings and landmarks.

It was built in 1952, and has an area of 18.000 m2.

All the models, railway lines and decorations are manufactured by Madurodam itself.

Madurodam is the largest railroad model in the Netherlands with a length of more then 4 kilometers.

A lot of work goes into readying a model. For example, the model of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol took two years and four months to complete.

Madurodam staff calculate the scaled down dimensions from architectural drawings and use detailed photographs of the real building. The plastic (it used to be wood) is cut to the right shape and dimensions using a moulding cutter. Then the decorators and technicians finish the building.

The models receive regular maintenance because they have to spend an average of 30 years outside.

Madurodam primarily uses small-leafed trees and shrubs. Frequent pruning is the only way to keep threm down.

The miniature city was named after George Maduro, a law student from Curaçao who fought the Nazi occupation forces as a member of the Dutch resistance and died at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. His parents donated the money to start the Madurodam project.

This attraction was the inspiration for Storybook Land, in Disneyland.

VIDEO of my visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZK6iLrbqIA

4 more images

From outside the main railway station in Den Haag, catch tram 9 to Schevingen and Madurodam is a 15 minute ride that has a stop just outside the complex.

If your used to visiting model villages in England be prepared to have your eyes blown out. This site is huge and even though we were gently strolling about it took a couple of hours. Virtually every monument, palace and tourist attraction in The Netherlands has been recreated in miniature at 1:25 scale. Try and go during dry sunny weather if at all possible and be there when it opens as it got very busy when we visited and that was a week day. This is a place that will amaze your kids and to be honest you also... you will never look at a model town again in the same way.

Opening times: Daily 9:00 - 23:00

Prices:
Adults: € 14.50
Children 3 to 11 years: € 10.50
65+: € 13.50

If you're in Den Haag and you haven't got the time to see the Netherlands, this probably is the best way. All the worthwhile sights in the Netherlands have been rebuild here, but smaller on a scale of 1:25. It's called a city, but it's actually bigger, as it's got an airport and agricultural lands, it's 1.77 square km. It's fun to walk around there, but it won't keep you busy all day.

Madurodam is one of those places in the VT structure that violates the editing rules. It exists in two places. Here and as a separate geographic location in Provincie Zuid Holland. The picture here is at the outside and violates the Madurodam rule of 1/25 size, but no matter. We will put our experiences under the place heading of Madurodam. It seems that all the most current listings are there too.

Being that I was only there for a day I didn't get to see much of the city.
I did however get to visit their beach/boardwalk and the miniature city...its not often that one that is 5' 7 gets to feel tall in holland.
The park was cool especially if you have kids because there are some interactive displays that should be fun for them.
Don't remeber much from that day other than the falafels we had on our way there, fantastic but unfortunately I don't remember the name of that joint either.

Madurodam is a park where you can see the most important monuments of the country in a scale of 1:25. Beside that, you will find special exhibitions, mostly about other miniature works. With over 200 different items, Madurodam is a place where you can spend many hours - you will get a small booklet which gives you information about the original building.

Prices are 12,00 € for adults and 8,75 for children. There are discounts for groups and 65+ too.

For further details, please visit the Madurodam page at VT. Although Madurodam is not a city (its name comes from a WW2-soldier named George Maduro) and part of Den Haag, it is listed as an own Destination in VT where many useres have their pages.