The story behind
the miniature world.

An engineer, a passion sparked by a Christmas gift, and thousands of hours of meticulous handwork.

Macro detail of a miniature spire — hand-cut shingles
40K+
Hand-cut cardboard pieces
90
Days for one single roof
60 m²
Diorama footprint
4
Portable modules
The creator

Eng. Ioana Dumitru

"For me, this is a sign from above — that this gift was given to me late in life, so I would have something meaningful to do in retirement. For that, I am grateful."

— Eng. Ioana Dumitru, creator of Lumea Miniaturilor

It all began as play — a Christmas gift from her children, a small cardboard miniature that challenged her to build an entire world. What started as a hobby grew into a 60 m² diorama housed in four modular units at Parcul Lunca Argeșului in Pitești.

A career in automotive body design gave her a rare advantage: spatial reasoning, surgical patience and millimetric precision — qualities she has channelled, year after year, into carved foam rock faces, miniature vegetation and trains running on 16.5 mm gauge track.

Unlike large-scale dioramas typically built by entire teams, Lumea Miniaturilor is the exclusive work of one person — a remarkable achievement in itself, regardless of the scale or detail of each piece.

The personal investment exceeds tens of thousands of euros — not counting the labour, which cannot be quantified.

The craft

How the Miniatures Are Made

Every piece goes through documentation, design and manual execution before finding its place in the diorama.

Research & Design

Each landmark is photographed and researched, then scaled to 1:87 with faithful proportions from the original structure.

Manual Construction

Structures are cut from cardboard and bamboo skewers; terrain is sculpted from extruded foam and finished with modelling putties.

Landscaping & Animation

Modelling vegetation, simulated water and dozens of electronic animations bring every corner of the diorama to life.

A dream I believe in

The Vision: A National Miniature Museum

By visiting this miniature universe you directly support the development of a larger project — one that could give other collaborators the opportunity to exhibit their own miniatures across several hundred square metres, creating a genuine and unique museum for Romanian and international visitors.

The diorama is modular: four containers that can be disassembled, transported and reassembled at any new location within just two days — opening the door to temporary exhibitions across the country.

Support the project