DAVE WOOLEY returns to this huge model
The main entrance to Madurodam
On returning back from our usual yearly pilgrimage to the Intermodellbau event in Dortmund we have a one day stop over in Rotterdam. This time is spent visiting either the docks, museums and of course the city itself.
This year a small party of us made the decision to visit Madurodam. Some may ask where and what is Madurodam as it is not shown on any maps of the area, yet is one of the most extraordinary places any model maker could wish to visit.
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Many years ago, 50 to be precise, I had a chance to visit Madurodam with my parents. I made mention of this visit last year, but schedules and prearranged visits to other venues had already been planned. So for 2009 it was going to be for me a return trip back, so I thought, to the 1950s. The first part of the exercise was to take the local tram to the Central Station in Rotterdam then going by train to Den Haag, a 40 minute journey. The Hague or Den Haag in Dutch is the administrative centre for the Netherlands. Like much in Holland the trams and trains are frequent and inexpensive.
After a gap of 50 years I really didn’t know what to expect. Going through the main entrance was indeed like going into a completely different world yet very familiar. This was the world of models, many working and according to the official information, 25 times smaller than the world beyond the gates of Madurodam.
Madurodam was originally founded in 1952 and surprisingly not just as an exhibition and theme park but as a war memorial commemorating the Dutch resistance fighter George Maduro who died in Dachau before the end of WW2. There is much to see and our time was limited, so as you would perhaps expect I concentrated on the model ships and its maritime aspects. but where possible I will make mention of other exhibits. Madurodam has royal connections going back to its earliest days and Queen Beatrix is the Patroness of Madurodam.
The models
There are in fact 58 ship models ranging from a spectacular nine metre long container ship to the Dutch East India Company trading ship of 1749, ‘De Amsterdam’. The first part of Madurodam that any visitor will see is the lighthouse dominating the main entrance. Once inside you are greeted by a four metre long oil tanker which is designed to catch fire, but this conflagration is immediately brought under control by a fire fighting support vessel.
The Netherlands is one of the great maritime gateways to all of the continent of Europe and this is facilitated by transporting goods by barge. Even in model form this is well choreographed with various barges making their way along the river and canal systems. In a number of instances the centre sections of the bridges are raised to allow ships and barges to pass through. These have to be well timed as the bridges are frequently crossed by high speed trains. The harbour area is a hive of activity. Madurodam even boasts its own shipyard which is notable by the side launching of a coaster into the river.
Many of the model buildings represent those in various parts of the Netherlands. For example there is a model replica of the cathedral tower in Utrecht which took 10 months to construct. The model buildings are generally designed to last for up to 30 years. Equally and similar to the Liver Buildings on the Liverpool waterfront, Rotterdam has the imposing and iconic Holland /Amerika building which has been recreated in model form in Madurodam.
The entire model area is divided as a city would be into districts. Whilst the harbour area has buildings reminiscent of the activity to be found in such locations there is also an extensive rail system (garden railway enthusiasts will love it). There are 13 trains and no less than 4250 metres of track. There is even a part of the harbour showing vehicles being loaded on to a large model of a ferry.
The statistics of Madurodam are truly amazing. The motorway system has no less than 4542 vehicles with many of the roads active with vehicles moving. In fact, apparently each vehicle can travel 14000km in one year!
Sound effects accompany many of the exhibits. For example the football stadium has cheering crowds and there are the engine sounds of a Boeing 747 as it taxies its way around Schiphol Airport. For all of this to function, trains to run on time, ferries sailing and flights on schedule requires a highly skilled team of engineers to keep everything functioning. However, no matter how good the system is, things can go wrong, but the measure of the quality of the system is how quick is the response to this sort of mishap. I was close to one of a number of the gates in a lock system which closed and then failed to open and if unattended this could have escalated into a serious logistical problem, but an engineer was on the scene in minutes.
Looking around the harbour I couldn’t fail to notice a large three metre, modern warship moored up against a dock. The pennant number was F802 which is the De Zeven Provinciën. The model therefore represented one of the four new stealth frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
There is much more to see and enjoy in Madurodam, the coverage of which is out of the scope of this brief article, but for those planning a visit to the Netherlands then I can certainly recommend a visit and if you are a modeller no matter what persuasion or age then you will be mesmerized and thoroughly enjoy the spectacle.
Travel and contact information
Our journey commenced at the Spido Harbour Tour Terminal by catching Tram No.7 to the Central Station. Incidentally Madurodam is also available to see at dusk, fully illuminated by 50000 miniature lights. To find out more visit: www.madurodam.nl or email: [email protected]
