From luxury yachts to Formula 1 racing carsMiniatur Wunderland creates Mini Monaco

Martin Hager

 · 17.03.2025

Best view during the GP: Superyachts moor in the front row and can experience the spectacle at close quarters.
Photo: Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg
The Principality with Formula 1 racing cars, super yachts and a detailed Provence landscape - All this can be experienced by modelling and Monaco fans in Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland.

The Monaco Grand Prix, like the Monaco Yacht Show held in September, is one of the social event highlights of the small principality. Here you can count yourself lucky if you can get a place in a hotel at an astonishingly high price or, even better, book a yacht. Berth in Port Hercule. While the Formula 1 cars race around the narrow city circuit, spectators celebrate in the grandstands and on the sun decks. The huge sporting event can now also be experienced on a smaller scale and with significantly less effort.

Five million euros for Monaco replica

The world-famous Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg opened the new section last year in the presence of Prince Albert II, Princess Charlène and their twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella. The 70 square metre installation, including the Provence landscape, took 150,000 working hours to build, cost five million euros and fits seamlessly into the 1,700 square metre area where various regions of the world are represented as 1:87 scale models.

Superyachts attract attention

In addition to the Formula 1 racing cars, which are in continuous operation in a realistic race, 175 boats and superyachts moored in the harbour attract attention. These include the 98 metre long Lürssen "Alice" conceptthat is to go on a world tour with hydrogen propulsion and also surprises with unusual shapes in micro format. It is doubtful whether an innovative owner will be found along the way. Nevertheless, the bonsai yachts in the mini Monaco are well worth a trip!


Martin Hager

Martin Hager

Editor in Chief YACHT

Martin Hager is editor-in-chief of the titles YACHT and BOOTE EXCLUSIV and has been working for Delius Klasing Verlag for 20 years. He was born in Heidelberg in 1978 and started sailing at the age of six, in an Opti of course. This was soon followed by 420s, Sprinta Sport and 470s, which he also sailed on the regatta course with his brother. His parents regularly took him on charter trips through the Greek and Balearic Islands. Even at a young age, it was clear to him that he wanted to turn his passion for water sports into a career. After graduating from high school and completing an internship at the Rathje boatbuilding company in Kiel, it was clear that he did not want to become a classic boatbuilder. Instead, he successfully studied shipbuilding and marine engineering in the Schleswig-Holstein state capital and focused on yacht design wherever he could. His diploma thesis dealt with the “Testing of a new speed prediction method for sailing yachts”. In 2004, the superyacht magazine BOOTE EXCLUSIV was looking for an editor with technical and nautical background knowledge, a position that was perfect for Martin Hager. The application was successful and a two-year traineeship was arranged. After twelve years as an editor, the editorial team changed and he took over responsibility for BOOTE EXCLUSIV as editor-in-chief in 2017. After long-time YACHT editor-in-chief Jochen Rieker moved to the role of publisher, Martin Hager also took over the position of editor-in-chief of Europe's largest sailing magazine YACHT, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, at the beginning of 2023. When he's not working on topics for the two water sports titles, Martin Hager likes to go out on the water himself - preferably with kite and wingfoil equipment or on a little after-work trip across the Alster.

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