Minivärlden Ljungby

Minivärlden Ljungby, located on the outskirts of Ljungby, is operated by Ljungby Järnvägsförening TågCentralen, an association of almost 100 model railroad enthusiasts, which presents model railroad installations and other exhibitions about model railroads, vehicle and aircraft models or tin soldiers on an area of about 1,000 square meters.

A major visitor magnet is the miniature world Landet Somewhere. It is a large model, the local physician Dr. Bent Schultze built up piece by piece in the cellar of his house from 1965 to 1995. The detailed landscapes with mountains, valleys, forests and lakes are freely designed and handmade, as are the villages and small towns, railroads and factories, all of which represent a country somewhere in the period around 1945.

1996, he donated the installation to the municipality of Ljungby to make it accessible to the public in the future. Due to improper dismantling and storage, it was almost destroyed, until today's operators of the Minivärlden restored the model in about 15,000 hours of voluntary work. Since 2012, Landet Somewhere not only shines in its old glory, but has also been slightly expanded and has been equipped with a number of buttons that allow visitors to trigger various interactions.

The Ljungby region as a model

The second large installation, called Lilla Smålandet, is under construction since 2016. In this ambitious project, the entire Ljungby region is shown in a model as it looked like at the time when Ljungby was a railroad junction and two railroad lines crossed in the city.

The result is an almost original model of the region from the 1940s to the 1960s, with trains driving through its landscape, passing woods, fields, farms and villages and stopping at stations that have long since ceased to exist. But it is not only the trains that move through this miniature landscape, people also walk around or cycle, and tractors are running in the fields.

The buildings will be partially reconstructed according to their originals. Locomotives and wagons are created in the 3D printer to obtain models of the old railroads that are as true to the original as possible. In the final stage, the miniature landscape will consist of around 20 villages and railroad stations and will have a size of about 450 square meters.

The other exhibitions in the Minivärlden Ljungby

In a separate exhibition, visitors can see how the models for houses, trees or even people are created, or how railroad models are produced in the 3D printer. In the model workshop, you can also try out how to make a model of a tree or paint figures.

An exhibition of model airplanes shows a selection of models on a scale of 1:72 and the collection of tin figures presented in showcases displays thousands of figures in all sorts of scenes – from a Viking ship to the re-enactment of historical battles or Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition.

A separate LEGO exhibition presents elaborate LEGO-Technic-models and with the help of a large box of building blocks, visitors can also build their own models. There are further possibilities for playing in the play corner with wooden trains, cars, figures and books.

Further information about the museum

The play corner is located right next to the Café of the Miniature World and can be seen through a glass pane from there. In the café you can enjoy coffee, tea, soft drinks, homemade cake or ice cream while browsing through newspapers and books about model making or local history and railroad history. Minivärlden Ljungby's museum shop offers an assortment of books and films about railroads and model railroads, as well as various other souvenirs.

The corridors of the exhibitions are wide enough to allow wheelchair users to move around freely. Two parking spaces for disabled persons are available in the entrance area and access to the exhibition is possible via a permanently installed ramp. A disabled toilet will be opened on request and assistance dogs may be taken into the museum.