03/29/2007

Reconstructing Germany

Berlin Sites Immortalized in Plastic at New Legoland

The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and even soccer star Michael Ballack can be found in plastic brick form at the new Berlin Legoland.

Germany's latest addition to the animal world is neither as cute as the polar bear cub Knut, nor as dangerous as the rogue brown bear Bruno. Standing seven meters (23 feet) tall, the yellow giraffe made of Lego blocks cuts an imposing figure at Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, a popular tourist and shopping area in the heart of the city.

The plastic sculpture is one of the main attractions of the new Legoland Discovery Centre which will open its doors to the public on Saturday. Inside, visitors will find a 3,500 square meter (37,674 square meter) indoor amusement park with interactive games and Lego sculptures.

The centre is meant to appeal to a broad audience: "It's not only for children", explains Stella Owusu Boafo from the Berlin center. "Some of our attractions, like the miniature version of Berlin, will be particularly interesting for adults."

Owusu-Boafo argues that the rather hefty entrance price of €11 - 14.50 ($15 - 19) will be well worth it. There are six different areas to cater for architects and adventurers alike. The Lego factory explains how the plastic blocks are made, while the test and building center allows people to have a (Le)go at building little figures themselves.

Then there is the 5-million-Lego-block-strong miniature version of Berlin's city center, complete with Lego models of the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate. Other attractions include a 4-D cinema -- built in the style of a 3-D cinema but with the additional dimension of artificial weather -- not to mention a dragon castle and a jungle exploration path.

This is the first indoor Legoland worldwide and the Berlin center will soon be followed by branches in other European capitals, says Owusu Boafo. The €7 million ($9.3 million) project is run by Merlin Entertainment who also manage the popular SeaLife centers. The organizers expect up to 300,000 visitors per year.

Before the official opening, several groups of schoolchildren were allowed to test the facilities. According to project manager Ulla Möll, the kids were happy -- and so was she: "Today is the first day where it's really full of kids and where we can see how happy they are," she told reporters on Tuesday. "I can't wait till Saturday."

mkp/dpa/reuters

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