How it all started...

From his native homeland, Oldenburg, Germany, Willi
Lindhorst came to America in 1963. With him came his many
dreams of trains and models. His life-long hobby burned in
his heart for the next 30 years as he made his living and
raised his family in this country.

In the early 1990's Willi and Judi, his wife and partner,
began looking for an area in which to cultivate their dreams
of a special Exhibit Hall to show off the German-made Alpine Model Railroads and trains. Willi hoped to include topographical features of his German homeland in the exhibit.

After investigating many locations along the eastern
section of the United states, they selected the beautiful
area known as Alpine Helen in the North Georgia
Mountains. Here in Helen, they created their 'Miniature
Germany' model railroad in a building especially designed to house the mountains and valleys of Germany in HO scale.

The resulting Alpine Model Railroad exhibit depicts Germany from the North Sea to the Alps through accurate landscaped topography, with its bridges, its autobahn with moving vehicles and authentic German rural, industrial and urban architecture which is fully peopled. Every model has been assembled, which took thousands of hours.

The computer-operated railway system with intriguing
Train Track layouts, terminals, tunnels and trestles is circled
by miniature Hot-Air Balloons. Observation of the actual 20'
by 50' layout is available from two levels in the immense
Exhibit Hall which covers over 2400 square feet. We
welcome you to visit this marvelous, miniature German Alpine Model Railroad Exhibit called CHARLEMAGNE'S KINGDOM, which is the only one of its kind in the United states.
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