Overview
What began as a hobby that grew and grew became one of Aalten’s best-loved attractions: Bernard Buesink’s Model Railway Panorama. From 1973 onwards he created an impressive miniature world with an Austrian atmosphere in his garden at Hollenberg, complete with railway lines, bridges, a mountain river, ski lifts and a town — all at a scale of 1:22.5.
A hobby that grew and grew
Bernard Buesink had a deep passion for model trains. At first he confined himself to small models in display cases, but before long he came up with the idea of building a large-scale outdoor landscape. At the heart of his garden, on a small island in the pond, he began creating a panoramic mountain landscape covering no less than 250 m². Around this miniature world he painted a 50 m² mural himself — the panorama from which the attraction took its name.
Open to the public
Initially the model railway was intended only for family and friends. But in 1979, following a suggestion from an acquaintance, Buesink opened his creation to the public. What began with a few curious campsite visitors grew into a regional attraction. In cooperation with the local tourist office, the railway opened on Sunday afternoons during the summer months. It attracted visitors from the Netherlands and abroad, with as many as 600 people on a single afternoon at peak times.
More than miniatures
Buesink did not stop at small trains. He also built three larger locomotives, the largest of which was 5.5 metres long, and six carriages, including a special one that served as a vacuum cleaner to keep the 300-metre track clean. Visitors could ride these trains around his house. Because of noise nuisance, this attraction had to stop operating in 1989, and in 1998 he sold most of the equipment to café-restaurant ’t Noorden in Aalten.
The Bos-Express
Buesink remained active, however. He kept one locomotive, which he used until 2015 to run the ‘Bos-Express’ along a 90-metre track in his garden. Children and adults could take a ride for a small fee — the last remnant of what had once been an extensive model railway.
Closure and new plans
In 2015 the gates closed for good because Buesink’s health was declining. The site was sold and the entire installation placed in storage. Bernard Buesink died in 2018. His grandson, Ramon Vreeman, inherited not only the equipment but also the passion. Since 2022 he has chaired Stichting Miniatuurpark BerBuland, a foundation whose aim is to bring his grandfather’s work back to life at another location.
More information about the project and its future plans can be found at: www.berbuland.nl