The Great Wall of China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum of Italy, the pyramids and the Sphinx of Egypt?all of these famous architectural attractions can be seen in one day at Aiinsworld, a miniature theme park located at the Bucheon Film Complex in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do province.

Aiins World (www.aiinsworld.com), covering a total area of 60,000 square meters, opened in November 2003. From design to construction, the six-billion won project took five years to complete.

The architectural miniatures were created by Wonder Works, an American special effects company. Each structure took approximately six months to make.

The special miniature theme park features 109 models made on the scale of 1:25, including 34 UNESCO designated World Heritage Sites, 9 of the 10 great cultural treasures of the world, 6 of the 7 wonders of the world, and 69 famous buildings from 25 countries.

This means the world¡¯s greatest artistic and historical architectural attractions can be seen all in one day, and all in one place. As such, for children it is a highly educational place where they can hear explanations of each of the structures.

For this reason, in 2004 the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education officially designated Aiinsworld as a student field trip destination. Since then Aiinsworld¡¯s Edupark has also been attracting the spotlight. Edupark goes beyond the concept of an ordinary theme park where amusement facilities are arranged according to a set theme; it is a new concept park which aims to combine fun and education. The name also refers to a village comprised of various educational facilities, centering on a school.

The biggest structure at Aiinsworld is the Eiffel Tower which stands 12.8 meters high, about the height of a four-story building. As this indicates, the buildings are all smaller than might be expected. But compared to other famous miniature theme parks such as Tobu World Square in Japan and Madurodam near the Hague in the Netherlands, Aiins World has more meticulously made structures and more of them.

Miniatures are made on the plans of the original or shrinking the dimensions as seen in a photograph and their success depends on the details. The models at Aiins World replicate everything down to the windows and door knobs and even the rust on the originals, which is why each one takes six months to complete.

One example of the meticulousness of the models is the statue of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in France, which reproduces even the rust on the original statue, while the model of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche, a church in Germany, reproduces the crumbling state of the building which was bombed by the allied forces during World War II. Visitors can¡¯t help being impressed by this close attention to detail.

Aiinsworld is divided into 12 zones including the Korean Zone, the British Zone, the French Zone, the European Zone, the Asian Zone, and the American Zone. The miniatures have thus been arranged according to country and the famous old buildings have been placed so that visitors can look at them as the take a stroll around a man-made lake. Going around the lake the first buildings that come up are those of Britain such as the Tower Bridge and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace.

Next is the French Zone and befitting a country that has produced so many famous artists, its buildings are strikingly elaborate. Spread before the eyes are places such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, Notre Dame, and the Palace of Versailles, which are such familiar settings in movies.

The European Zone brings together the noted structures of several different countries such as Milan Cathedral, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Basilica de San Pietro in Italy, and the Acropolis in Greece. The Russian Zone features some stately structures from a vast country, including St. Basil Cathedral and Red Square.

Other buildings that follow are the Sydney Opera House beautifully set against the ocean, the Statue of Liberty seen so often in movies, and the World Trade Center which was destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attack. Next are the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City, and Himeji Castle of Japan and finally the buildings of Korea such as Bulguksa Temple and Gyeongbokgung Palace. A guided tour takes about one to one and a half hours.

The guides at Aiinsworld give easy-to-understand explanations of these famous structures of the world as well as the stories and mysteries surrounding their construction. For example, that if you touch the foot of the statue of St. Peter at Basilica de San Pietro and make a wish your wish will come true; that although St.

Basil Cathedral has nine towers from whatever angle you look you can only see eight; that Petra, the ancient city of Jordan carved out of red sandstone was the site for three of the Indiana Jones movies; and that the Forbidden City in China has 9,999 rooms and if you were to spend a night in each one it would take 27 years to sleep in them all.

Of all the buildings of the different countries, those of America are the most popular, mainly because they are bigger than the rest. The children especially like the Empire State Building. Because it featured in the movie ¡°King Kong¡± there is a model of King Kong hanging onto the building as well, and whenever the cries of the gorilla are heard through the loudspeakers the children¡¯s eyes light up.

The children also show great interest in the mysterious Sphinx and the pyramids of Egypt, which they have seen so often on TV and other media. Aside from the models, there are other things for children to see such as the laser show using four-dimensional lights and sound, and performances by the theater troupe dressed up as famous historical figures.

At night Aiinsworld is even more beautiful, thanks to its top lighting equipment. The lighting alone, which is of the same kind and standard used in theaters and concert halls, cost 4 billion won. It¡¯s a good idea to arrive sometime in the afternoon so that you can see the miniatures in the glow of dusk and enjoy the exotic atmosphere created. This is one of the reasons why so many couples choose to visit at night.

More than anything else, the students and young people like to take photos at Aiinsworld. By dint of careful placement of the person against the buildings,the photo can look like it was really taken overseas,though the miniatures don¡¯t quite give off the grandeur of the original monuments. But for those who have not been able to travel overseas for whatever reason, Aiinsworld offers the pleasure of seeing the famous architectural sights of the world, all in one day.

Though Aiinsworld has only been open for two years now, it has become firmly established as a popular theme park and educational park. Its success owes to the fact that a great deal of effort invested into conveying the artistic, cultural and historical value of the architectural structures right from the planning stage. The lighting, sound, method of circulation, and landscaping, combine to create a wonderful and inspiring experience.

All the hard work put into making Aiinsworld ensures that this summer it will once again one of the most popular holiday attractions.