Borówiec model railway with kids: an airport, a motorway and a city at night in 1:87 scale

Ten wpis po polsku

At the entrance there is a stone wall with a "Makieta Borówiec" sign and a big M&M's figure. Our four kids lined up for a photo straight away, arms in the air, and dad squeezed everyone into a selfie. It was Monday 12 November 2018, an extra day off in Poland for the 100th anniversary of independence, and the model railway near Poznań was open for visitors that day.

Makieta Borówiec is a huge model railway in H0 scale (1:87) in the village of Borówiec, Kórnik commune, just outside Poznań. Today it covers more than 450 m², 12 trains run on it, and next to the railway there is an airport, a motorway, a city and a funfair. After Mikroskala in Konin and Kolejkowo in Wrocław, this was our third visit to a miniature world.

Borówiec model railway in numbers

The numbers impress adults too:

• H0 scale, which means 1:87,
• more than 450 m² (older descriptions say over 250 m², because the layout keeps growing),
• 12 trains running all the time, with more than 40 planned,
• the longest train is 6 m long,
• about 1,500 m of track and about 150 signals,
• digital control, with trains passing each other on a changing timetable,
• steam engines with smoke and sound generators,
• rolling stock by Roco, Fleischmann, Trix, Liliput, Brawa and Piko.

The whole layout shows European railways in modern European landscapes. The trains and buildings come from different eras, but most of them are modern.

What you can see on the Borówiec layout

The layout is behind glass, so the older kids stood right by the window, and the youngest watched from our shoulders or from the railing. We filmed 88 short clips, because something new caught our eye every minute.

The airport

First, the airport, with a lit runway, a control tower and a hangar. Passenger planes stand on the apron, one of them in LOT Polish Airlines colours, and next to them there are military helicopters and a transport plane.

The motorway and the city

Lorries drive along a motorway with a tunnel, and in one place there is a traffic jam. Right next to it there has been an accident, with ambulances, police and fire engines at work. Further on there is a petrol station, a car park full of cars and a lorry terminal. The cars on the layout have lights and drive through the city streets on their own.

The railway

Most of the tracks meet at a big station with many lines and a viaduct, where long goods trains pass through. A red passenger train was waiting at the platform. Nearby there is a turntable with an engine shed and a water tower, a bit like the real one in Wolsztyn.

Everything else we spotted

We also found:

• a funfair with a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel and a chain swing ride,
• a football stadium with fans in the stands,
• a cave with glowing crystals,
• a castle on a rock,
• mountains with tunnels and wind turbines,
• a concert stage that lights up at night.

Day and night on the layout

Every now and then the layout changes from day to night. The skyscrapers light up their windows, a Castorama sign shines among them, and the streets and rides sparkle with coloured lights. Stars light up on the ceiling. Many of our clips come from this night part, because the layout looks completely different then.

Buttons for kids

By the railing there are lit buttons that start movement on the layout. The kids pressed them, as you can see in several of our clips, and the youngest watched the glowing buttons up close.

Fun fact: the airport is a separate layout of about 50 m². The runway is about 12 m long, and about 800 LEDs are built into the airport to copy real runway lighting.

Good to know: the layout is still growing. A new section showing Polish landscapes is being built on about 150 m² of extra space.

Other model railways in Poland we have visited

If your kids love miniatures, compare Borówiec with these places:

• Kolejkowo in Wrocław, where a miniature night falls every few minutes and the staff give kids little tasks,
• Mikroskala in Konin, with historical and film scenes and buttons for special effects.

For more ideas around Poznań, see the Greater Poland part of our guide Poland with kids.

Practical info

Where it is and how to get there

• Address: ul. Uroczysko 1, 62-023 Borówiec (Kórnik commune), GPS 52.282324, 17.054949.
• Borówiec is a village just south-east of Poznań. We came by car.
• By public transport: according to the Poznań public transport (ZTM) timetable, bus 511 from Rondo Rataje stops at Borówiec/Rekreacyjna and Borówiec/Łąkowa. From there you walk along ul. Polna past the post office to ul. Uroczysko. The layout's website still mentions buses from Franowo, and weekend services are different, so check the timetable before you go (as of November 2026).

Opening hours

• Shows for individual visitors: usually on Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00-18:00 (as of November 2026).
• Extra days, for example on public holidays, during school breaks and on Fridays in the summer holidays, are announced on the layout's website.
• Ticket sales end one hour before closing.
• The opening hours and prices on the Kórnik tourist website are older, so check the layout's own website.

Tickets (as of November 2026)

• adult PLN 40,
• reduced PLN 35, for children and students up to 18 with a valid school or student ID,
• children under 2 go in free,
• family tickets: 2 adults + 2 reduced PLN 130, 2 + 3 PLN 160, 2 + 4 PLN 190,
• the Poznań tourist card (Poznańska Karta Turystyczna) is accepted.

With kids

• The layout is behind glass, and the buttons by the railing are great fun for kids.
• Footstools are available for smaller children.
• Group shows last at least 1.5 hours, so plan about that much time.
• You can take a souvenir photo wearing a real railway cap.