50 years in the spotlight

Produced on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Swissminiatur in June 2009.

Concept: Tredicom SA, 6908 LuganoGraphic: Gabriele Campeggio, Tredicom SAPhoto: Rémy Steinegger

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He is just how you'd imagine apioneer to be: someone who has anidea - his own idea- of building anattraction covering the whole ofSwitzerland. A real worker, a Jack ofall Trades whose vocabulary did notinclude Fridays and Sundays, holidaysand simply lazing around. Always fullspeed ahead. Full throttle.

He demanded a lot from his companions. Buthe also gave them a lot. Wheninsurmountable disagreements occurred, hewould always find all-round solutions. Thisidentity may apply to various Swiss pioneers,but here we are referring to Pierre Vuignerwho was born in Grimisuat in the canton ofValais, and who 52 years ago had an idea thatsimply would not then let him rest. Based onthe example of the Dutch park“Madurodam”, he wanted to create the samething in Switzerland. A miniature Switzerland.

Aged 32, Pierre Vuigner ran a grocery shop inGrimisuat and was also the municipal clerk.Before that, he studied Latin at grammarschool and loved sport. His life seemed to be

50 years of Swissminiatur:A success story

Pierre Vuigner

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running smoothly, that was until the day theidea gripped him. This idea would not leavehim be, both day and night. In order to bringthe idea to life, he would first need land.Between 10 and 15,000 m2, if possible in anattractive position.

His tour of Switzerland started in Küsnacht,moved on to Pratteln via Thun, and the laststage took him to Ticino, to Melide, apicturesque village that, nestled betweenmountains and Seedamm, was waiting to beawoken from sleep.

For Pierre Vuigner's idea, Melide was a realstroke of luck. The mayor, named Gallino, wasso taken by the idea that he managed toovercome all the bureaucratic obstacles in arecord time of three weeks. He was helpedhere with the fact that there were rumoursthat the unused land would be developedinto a camp site, which had been a sore pointwith the village community. The deal between the Melide community andPierre Vuigner gives him a 30-year lease onthe site. The contract would then be extendedby both parties, initially for 45 years, then for60 and finally for 86 years. This would allow

Contract extended by 86 years...

1959: Building work started, the Swissminiatur adventure can begin (above).The first models, presented by the charming actress, Marina Salinaz.

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Swissminiatur to stay at its location until 2042.

Pierre Vuigner, who meanwhile became fatherto two sons, Dominique and Jean-Luc, nowhad the land but not the initial capital. Butabove all he needed the models. He sold hisshop in Grimisuat as well as family property.He then moved to Melide with the proceeds.

Still obsessed with his idea, he startedworking with some like-minded people. Thefirst models, built to a scale of 1:25 werecompleted; a miniature train was to takevisitors around the still desolate mini-Switzerland. There was not a lot of time,capital was melting like snow in the springsunshine. Pioneer Pierre and his employeesvery quickly became dependent on income.

The 6 June 1959 was set as the opening date.But just a few days before, the park was not afinished product. Pierre Vuigner looks back,grinning: “The 'Matterhorn' was still 'underconstruction', instead of being bright green,part of the lawn was a dreary mixture ofbrown and yellow. But we were all eternaloptimists. “He and his crew rolled up their

On the opening day, “under construction”

Prominent in the 60s: glacier pilot Hermann Geiger and the singer Lyss Assia.

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sleeves. After days and nights of overtime, thepark was finally finished, even if it was amonth after opening. The holiday season was just about to start andit was precisely during this time thatSwissminiatur would need to generate someincome that would not only ensure its survivalbut also its further expansion.

The first visitors. The new attraction on thebanks of the Lake Lugano proved to be a realhit. And after four months, Pierre Vuignerrecorded sales of CHF 868,000. A realgoldmine. The only thing was: even theseunexpected record sales would not be enoughto pay off all of the due invoices. But overtime, all the creditors were won over by theproject. Pierre Vuigner paid all his dues by theend of 1960.

Then came the boom years, the golden 70s. Atweekends and on public holidays, Italianswould always flood into Ticino. The reason forthe invasion of the spend-happy southernneighbours is enlightening: 1000 Lire wouldget Italians seven Swiss Franks. 65% of allSwissminiatur visitors would cross the borderin Chiasso and stock up on Swiss chocolate,

The new attraction is a real hit

Febo Conti, the Italian comedian, Marina Doria (bottom left) and the singer Peter Kraus as aprominent visitor in the early days of Swissminiatur.

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cigarettes, storm the restaurants anddepartment stores and accepted the hour-long queues at the Swissminiatur tills. At thistime, Pierre Vuigner was investingconsiderable amounts in the leisure park eachyear - new models, new attractions. And as anexperienced PR professional he also knew to

include stars and starlets, celebrities andpopular faces in his advertisements. CaterinaValente, Lys Assia, Vico Torriani, Peter Kraus,Marisa Salina, Nicola de Bari, Anita Traversi,Febo Conti, Hermann Geiger, Marina Doriaposed for Swissminiatur, TV advertisementswere recorded, folk festivals held. “InMelide”, says Pierre Vuigner, “I had found agoldmine.”

But the era of the golden, fat 70s wasfollowed by crisis years. The Italian Lirasuffered from impairment, the Italians thenonly got 70 centimes for 1000 Lire instead of 7Franks. Switzerland, which used to beshopping paradise, became too expensive forthem. Shopping tourism now developed inthe opposite direction. Now, each weekendthousands of bargain hunters from Ticinocrossed the border into low-priced Italy.

Stars and starlets in Miniature Switzerland

The model railways have always been a particular attraction at Swissminiatur. The overall lengthof the rails measured a proud 3560 m.

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Swissminiatur then focused on countriesaround the world. Pierre Vuigner handed overthe reigns to his two sons Dominique andJean-Luc in Spring 1986, but remains on handat all times to offer advice and support. Nowaged 83, he puts the success story ofSwissminiatur down to the following: “Mondieu, j'ai plus de chance que d'intelligence.”(My God, I have more guts than brains”).

It was with humility, patience, daringness andpioneering spirit that Pierre Vuigner createdsomething in Melide that has becomesomewhat of a Swiss institution over the last50 years: visiting and experiencing littleSwitzerland in an hour...

More guts than brains

Lyss Assia (“Oh mein Papa”) during a visit to Swissminiatur.

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With a tour of the park, visitors cantake in the whole of Switzerland witheverything on a scale of 1:25.

Maintenance of this unique leisure park doesnot just involve costs, but also a great deal ofwork from the Swissminiatur employeesduring the main season. The gardening team in particular have a lot ofwork to do, as the plants, bushes and flowershave to - where possible - also be kept toscale, the lawn areas have to be tended toalmost daily and during the hot summermonths watering (in the early hours of themorning) is one the main duties of thecompany's four in-house gardeners. The“moveable parts” too such as ships, thebobsled runs and the mountain railways haveto continuously be monitored andmaintained, and the 3.5 km long modelrailway network requires - particularly intimes of poor weather - continuous controland maintenance. 50 years of Swissminiatur.To mark this birthday, the members of thefounding family Vuigner, had their 40 or sostrong workforce pose with their favouritemodel for a souvenir picture.

Working at Swissminiatur:That is my favourite model

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Pierre, Dominique and Jean Luc VuignerJoint favourite model: No. 65 Castles of Valère and Tourbillon in Sion

“With us originally being from Valais, Tourbillon Castle in Sion takes us back to our roots!”

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Jean Luc VuignerSon of Pierre Vuigner

Dominique VuignerSon of Pierre Vuigner

Favourite model: No. 95 and 97 Uri Castle, Castelgrande in Bellinzona and Monte San Salvatore

“A declaration of love for my adopted home, Ticino: without

Ticino there would be no Swissminiatur ...”

Favourite model: No. 75 Main street of Morat with greenery

“The main street of Morat with greenery is the first model at

Swissminiatur that I have a clear memory of.”

Pierre VuignerFounded Swissminiatur in 1959

Favourite model: No. 103 Bern Cathedral

“The Bern Cathedral is the nicest-looking gothic construction

in Switzerland. I love gothic architecture”

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Nicoletta ForzaniManager's assistant and

head of marketing

Favourite model: No. 69 Haus der Landvögte in Cevio

“This building is part of our Ticino history and reveals

the truth of past times...”

Renato BernasconiPark deputy manager

Favourite model: No. 109 Parliament building in Bern

“The fact that I am posing by the parliament building Bern is nostalgic for me:

About 20 years ago I helped to erect this model...”

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Marilena PedroniHead decorator

Luis Da CruzResponsible for operating the model railways

Favourite model: No. 91 + 92 Zurich-Kloten Airport (in 1958) and Terminal A

“My main hobby is travelling abroad and I painted

the different airplanes...”

Simona BianchiAssistant decorator

Favourite model: No. 56 Lausanne Cathedral

“This model has sentimental value for me.

It was the last one that my late father worked on...”

Favourite model: No. 79 “UomoNatura”ecological centre in Acquacalda TI

“This eco centre is a new feature among the models

and I'm very interested in nature...”

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Francisco GouveiaHead decorator assistant

Favourite model: No. 50 Chillon Castle at Montreux

“It was close to this castle that I had my first

job when I came to Switzerland...”

Corrado RonchettiAssistant

Favourite model: “Tennis court”

“I am a keen tennis player and a fan of Rafael Nadal,

I also respect Roger Federer very much...”

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Arcangelo SavoldelliGardener and bricklayer for many years

Diego SpongaWorks as an assistant at Swissminiatur

Favourite model: Roter Pfeil train

“Even as a young child I enjoyed

playing with model railways.

The 'rote Pfeil' was always

my favourite model:...”

Federico SavoldelliHead gardener

Favourite model: No. 95: Schwyz Castle in Bellinzona

“I am a bricklayer by trade and created the castle's hill

and the Weinberg walls back then...”

Favourite model: No. 30 Valais Alpine cabin

“I love nature, mountains, walks and spend

a lot of my free time out in the great outdoors...”

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Mario SavazziGardener

Favourite model: No. 120 Basel Rhine Port

“As a former water polo player, water is of course my element.

Furthermore, my wife is from Basel...”

Aldo StrifelePark's mini-train driver

Favourite model: My train of course

“My hobby is also my job. I get on well with children and often

transport up to 600 children each day through the park...”

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Law Kwok HungKitchen chef

Sergio MellusoRestaurant Manager

Favourite model: No. 13 Maienfeld Heidi village

“Heidi is one of my favourite songs and I know

all the Heidi films off by heart”

Tan Ai NaiKitchen assistant

Favourite model: No. 54 Avenches (Aventicum)

“Aventicum reminds me of the history and the Roman

past in Switzerland...”

Favourite model: No. 15: Swiss Knie national circus

“For us Chinese people, circus represents tradition,

show, acrobatics, precision...”

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Nataliya KlimovaWorks in self-service and on the till

Nagpal KunalKitchen assistant

Favourite model: No. 31 Thun Castle

“I have visited Thun Castle and it made a big impression on me...”

Favourite model: No. 18 St. Moritz bobsled run

“One of my dreams is to visit St. Moritz and

the world-famous ice canal piste...”

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Stefano ManciniRestaurant kitchen assistant

Ettore MartinenghiVice Chef

Favourite model: No. 70 National St. Gotthard Museum

“A lot of people aren't aware that there is a national museum on the

Gotthardpass - I have chosen this model because it also represents Ticino

Graziella Zaccone BassiKitchen assistant

Favourite model: No. 7 Stockalper Palace in Brig

“I spent 15 years of my life in the Orient.

The turrets of the Stockalper Palace bring back memories for me...”

Favourite model: No. 52 Madonna del Sasso in Locarno

“I chose Madonna del Sasso in Locarno because I am

a from Ticino DOC, a from Ticino through and through.”

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Brigitte RossettiHead of the kiosk

Favourite model: No. 43 Appenzell main street

“My favourite model, the Bern parliament building, had already

gone so I chose Appenzell, a piece of traditional Switzerland...”

Jurgita Sala Kiosk sales assistant

Favourite model: No. 8 General Suvorov monument at St. Gotthard

“I was born in Lithuania and have always admired the charismatic

figure of General Suvorov...”

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Riccardo CanonicaWorks in the restaurant and the kiosk

Halina Ortelli Luczak Kiosk sales assistant

Favourite model: No. 57 Munot fort, Schaffhausen

“I love castles in general and this fort in Schaffhausen in particular...”

Manuela BurHead of tills and culture

Favourite model: No. 98 Tucini farm

“I am a true from Ticino, which is why I chose this typical

Ticino farm.”

Favourite model: No. 116 Basel Cathedral

“No debate: My mother is from Basel and I was born in Basel,

the prettiest town in Switzerland...”

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Silvia De Luca GuinWorks in sales

Jeanine JaworskiWorks on the tills

Favourite model: No. 76: Fribourg Cathedral

“I was born in Fribourg, but am a true from Ticino...”

Sandy CossiWorks on the tills

Favourite model: No. 3 Engelberg/Titlis Rotair

“I like this model because it is tall.

It suits to be body height...”

Favourite model: No. 01 Telldenkmal in Altdorf

“This model is 100% Swiss...”

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Martina Di PonzianoWorks in marketing and sales

Favourite model: No. 53 San Salvatore in Lugano

“The model can be found in front of the “real” San Salvatore,

the summit of which gives great views over

Lugano and the surrounding area...”

Cristina SavoldelliSecretary

Favourite model: No. 85 Castle and Collegiale Estavayer-le-Lac

“My grandmother, born in Argentina, went to a girls' school

in Estavayer-le-Lac ...”

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No, she is not an artist in the truestsense of the word, says MarilenaPedroni. For many years she has beenresponsible for the most lifelikepainting and decoration ofSwissminiatur models. Marilena gained her love and passionfor “miniature” work while still in hercot. Her father, Jean-Marie, was therewhen the miniature park openedexactly 50 years ago.

For 30 years he was in charge of the planningand finishing of the models. “I learnteverything from my father and since I havehad a passion for mosaic creations from myyouth, I gained my basic education at thevocational art school.”A specialist company provides the basicmodels of the different objects, which, usingphotos, plans and detailed specificationscreates a weather-proof model which ismissing all detail and decor. This is whereMarilena Pedroni comes in. With a specialsculpture compound and spatulas of all sizesshe gets to work. This involves modelling tiledroofs, lifelike of course, but on a scale of 1:25.When all the details are affixed to the raw

Marilena Pedroni:Above all we ask for patience

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model, she gets to work on the hardest part:painting. Because in order to create thesmallest detail in the most lifelike waypossible, you often only need a tiny amountof paint. Marilena thinks back to model No.69 “Haus der Landvögte in Cevio”. The

building's façade had approx. 30 differentcoats of arms, the reproduction of which tooka lot of time, a very steady hand and above alla lot of patience. The models are kept outsidein their position the whole year round. Theyhave to be able to resist rain, cold, snow andbright sunshine. “I work with special coloursthat can brave all weather conditions. Onlysevere hail storms can lead to irreparabledamage,” says Marilena Pedroni...

Details and Decorations

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We would like to thank our sponsors.List of companies, lighting.

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