Sesamstraat in Madurodam

For more than 55 years Madurodam has been the smallest city in the Netherlands. Canals, gabled houses and all kinds of other typical Dutch scenes: the miniature city offers you all the highlights of the Netherlands on a scale 1:25

History
Madurodam was officially opened on 2 July 1952. This amusement park has a very interesting history. It was established for two reasons: as a war monument and as a charity foundation. The joint initiators were Mrs. B. Boon-van der Starp and Mr. and Mrs. J.M.L. Maduro. Mrs. Boon-van der Starp Mrs. Boon-van der Starp was a member of the Society for the Support of the Dutch Student Sanatorium in Laren. The sanatorium was founded in 1947 and offered students suffering from tuberculosis the opportunity to recover, while at the same time continuing with their studies. The costs of construction and patient care were high. Therefore the initiators were looking for a way of acquiring financial support. Mrs. Boon-van der Starp took the English miniature city in Beaconsfield as an example. Its revenues were so high that the owner was able to make large annual donations to hospitals in London. Mr. and Mrs. Maduro Mr. and Mrs. Maduro from Willemstad, Curacao were eager to erect a monument in honor of their only son George, who died from typhus as a prisoner in Dachau in February 1945. For his heroic deeds in the first days of the war he posthumously received the Military Order of William I. Before the war, George J.L. Maduro had been a law student in the city of Leiden. After they met Mrs. Boon-van der Starp, Mr. and Mrs. Maduro decided to donate a sum of money for the construction of a miniature city as a monument in commemoration of their son, instead of erecting a regular monument Architect Architect S.J. Bouma, who in those days managed the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen, was happy to contribute to building a miniature city. After visiting Beaconsfield, he worked out a plan to reconstruct a Dutch city, as it would have developed in the course of the centuries, on a 1:25 scale. The central theme was: the small city with a smile. Bouma’s plans and drawings were used to approach the managers of a number if major companies for financial support. Most of them reacted so enthusiastically a petrol station, a nodding donkey pomp, a motorway, a railway and an airport were made. The mayor of The Hague was also willing to contribute to this unique plan and arranged for a piece of land in the ‘Scheveningse Bosjes’ to be handed over on the basis of a long lease. The grounds were cleared by enthusiastic students from the Delft Technical University. The exploitation was carried out by the Society for the Support of the Dutch Student Sanatorium and specialists in many fields. The design of Madurodam has not been changed since 1952. In 1996 Madurodam expended. The entrance, consisting of two dykes and a big lighthouse and some new models were made as also two multifunctional conference rooms and a exhibition hall. The biggest building project after the opening is the renewed Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In 2003 the new airport was opened after a complete renovation. On the platform there is a new induction technique, presented here for the first time. It enables the three-meter long aircraft to taxi along the platform employing a magnetic field, rechargeable batteries and miniature computers.

The Royal Family Madurodam has always had a special relation with the Dutch Royal Family. It was a great surprise when the then Queen of the Netherlands, Juliana, consented that her daughter, the 14-year old Crown Princess Beatrix, should become the mayor of the miniature city. Until her accession to the throne in 1980 she fulfilled her job as mayor. Through the years, many members of the Royal Family have attended special events in Madurodam. On 2 July 2002 Queen Beatrix revealed the new Golden Coach on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Madurodam

Scale Model Building
All the models, railway lines and decorations are manufactured by Madurodam itself. A lot of work goes into readying a model to be installed in the miniature town. For example, the model of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol took two years and four months to complete. Madurodam staff calculate the scaled down dimensions on the basis of architectural drawings. Moreover, detailed photographs are taken of the real building. The plastic (it used to be wood) is cut to the right shape and dimensions using a moulding cutter. Then the decorators and technicians finish the building. Because the models have to spend an average of 30 years outside they receive regular maintenance. To show the Dutch street image as realistic as possible, a great attention is given to the surroundings of the scale models. Plants are an important part of that. Madurodam primarily uses small-leafed trees and shrubs and frequent pruning is the only way we can keep these trees down to sixty centimetres when they normally grow to be fifteen metres high. Some trees have been here since the miniature city was opened.

The Exhibition
From 13 March up to 26 October 2008 Madurodam will have an Exhibition about Sesame Street. Everything you would normally see on television you can now experience yourself.... but in miniature!

Drawing and tinkering with Bert and Ernie, playing at the Broccoli Forest, counting with Count von Count and listening to stories in the dunes of Sesame Street. Never before could you personally walk around in Sesame Street and meet your friends there. Now you can, thanks to the co-operation between Madurodam and Sesame Workshop, the educational non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street. So, grab this chance and get into the cosy atmosphere of the pleasant and informative world we know so well from 30 years of television.

As a visitor of Sesame Street you also received your own Sesame Street Passport with all sorts of fun and informative assignments (also it's a nice souvenir of your visit).

For this exhibition there is also a walk-arround Bert, Ernie or Elmo!