In 2000, two German brothers set out to build a train miniature set that would astonish and amaze both adults and kids alike. Nine years and $1.6mm USD later, they have exceeded all expectations and they are still not done

The idea came to Fredrick Braun after he visited a model railway shop in Zurich He quickly enrolled his twin brother and off they went to build the largest and most technologically advanced world of trains.

The painstakingingly detailed construction which has taken 500,000 hours of labor and used 8.000 lbs of steel and 1,500lbs of fake grass, comprises of six regions - America, Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Austria. Each region depicts the areas most famous landmarks. For America, the highlights include Las Vegas , all lit up thanks to the over 30,000 lights, Miami, Mt. Rushmore and the Rocky Mountains among other things. Switzerland comes complete with its own mini Matterhorn while the Scandinavian part has a passenger ship floating in a fjord .

Chugging around in these regions are 700 trains complete with carriages and wagons, controlled by 900 signals. They are surrounded by 2,800 buildings, 4,000 cars, some with illuminated headlights and of course people - Over 160,000 of them in various forms of activities, which include skiing, walking, shopping or just hanging out. The brothers have also managed to create the illusion of day and night by adding 250,000 lights that illuminate or dim at various times.

What's even cooler is that the whole exhibit is interactive. The trains are controlled by computers and chug along like real ones, while a push of a button can result in a space launch or shark attacks.

Today, Miniatur Wunderland attracts over 400,000 visitors annually and employs 160 guides. The two brothers are now workind on adding detailed models of France, United Kingdom and Italy. To read more about this amazing creation check out miniatur-wunderland.com.

sources:telegraph.co.uk,worldrecordsacademy.org, dailymail.co.uk