• Menu
  • Menu
  • Entertainment
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription ePaper subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
ePaper subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2024 Corporate Tax News on WhatsApp The Kurator COP28
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • People
    • Science
    • Government
    • Education
    • Crime
    • Emergencies
    • Environment
      • COP28
    • Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Weather
    • Sultan Al Neyadi
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Reader Queries
    • Safety+Security
  • Business
    • Banking & Insurance
    • Aviation
      • Dubai Airshow
    • Property
    • Tax News
    • Corporate Tax
    • Analysis
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Corporate News
    • Tech
    • Auto
  • Best Buys
    • Electronics
    • Home and Kitchen
    • Offers
    • Consumables
    • Lifestyle
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
    • Cryptocurrency
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
    • Videos
  • Friday
    • Beauty
    • Wellbeing
    • Art & People
    • Home
    • Friday Partner
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
    • Spell It
    • Play
  • Podcasts
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
    • Mena
    • Europe
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Australia-New Zealand
    • Corrections
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • From the Editors
  • Special Reports
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Magical Dubai
    • Dubai Life
    • Live the Luxury
    • Culture and History
    • Adventure
    • Staying Connected
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Gujarat
        • Lucknow
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
      • ICC World Cup 2023
        • Live Scores
        • Top Scorers
        • Point Table
        • Schedule
    • Motorsport
    • Football
    • Tennis
    • Golf in UAE
      • UAE
      • World
      • Photos & Videos
      • Course Reviews
      • Learn to Play
      • Gear
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • OTT
  • Going Out
  • Auto
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
    • Community
    • Fashion
  • GN Reach
  • Tech
    • Electronics
      • Gitex Global 2023
    • Gaming
    • Media
    • Gitex Global 2023
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • Community
    • Technology
  • GN Focus
    • Special Features
  • Know Plan Go
  • The Kurator
    • Life
    • Luxury
    • Style
  • Gold-Forex
  • Gratuity Calculator
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • GN Store
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • Printing Services
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    Little engines that can: Zagreb's model train museum

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Saturday, December 9, 2023
    Gold / Forex

    Photos Entertainment

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Little engines that can: Zagreb's model train museum

    The Backo Mini Express Museum is the largest of its kind in southeastern Europe


    Published:  June 15, 2020 13:39 AFP  and  compiled by Balaram Menon, Digital Content Editor
    Follow us

    1 of 17
    Copy of 099429-01-08-1592214454392
    Visitors looks at a model train layouts, as part of the collections at the Backo Mini Train museum in Zagreb. Soaring over mountain gorges, past snowy ski slopes and into bustling stations, the trains in Antun Urbic's minuscule landscape enthrall visitors to his model rail museum in Zagreb. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 17
    Copy of 099421-01-08-1592214426005
    The Backo Mini Express Museum, the largest of its kind in southeastern Europe, boasts more than a kilometre of tiny tracks traversing picturesque rural villages and city squares wrought in extraordinary detail. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 17
    Copy of 099410-01-08-1592214473055
    More than 2,500 figurines including mountaineers, wedding guests, police, construction workers and commuters populate the scenes. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 17
    Copy of 099407-01-08-1592214470202
    Antun Urbic (above), who opened the museum in 2015, fell in love with trains 60 years ago when his father gave him a model set. "It was the only toy that moved by itself," said the 66-year-old who goes by the nickname Backo. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 17
    Copy of 099427-01-08-1592214451128
    Urbic started building sets in the attic of his Zagreb home before moving to a bigger space where he invited friends over to model with him. Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 17
    Copy of 099437-01-08-1592214429158
    "It began as a hobby," said Urbic. After spending four years piecing together a large-scale model, he opened the museum to the public. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 17
    Copy of 099411-01-08-1592214476206
    Since then, the site has attracted 25,000 people a year, including model train enthusiasts from the United States, Australia and India. Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 17
    Copy of 099426-01-08-1592214448195
    The museum reopened in May after closing for nearly three months under Croatia's coronavirus lockdown. Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 17
    Copy of 099435-01-08-1592214463670
    "We could hardly wait to come here again," said Davorin Bozic, a regular accompanied by his three enthusiastic children. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 17
    Copy of 099432-01-08-1592214460347
    Eight-year-old Jan Zelic's favourite detail is in a cemetery where a hand sticks out from a grave. "It's really fun," he said. Image Credit: AFP
    11 of 17
    Copy of 099430-01-08-1592214457497
    His father Sasa, a 38-year-old economist, praised the "precise mechanics and imagination needed to construct all this. I was particularly impressed with the ski slope." Image Credit: AFP
    12 of 17
    Copy of 099425-01-08-1592214444873
    The scene features miniature skiers zig-zagging down a slalom run inspired by the one on nearby Medvednica, which hosts the men's and women's World Cup. Image Credit: AFP
    13 of 17
    Copy of 099415-01-08-1592214438322
    It is the only model museum in Europe with skiers actually descending a mountainside instead of being glued to the slopes, according to Urbic. Image Credit: AFP
    14 of 17
    Copy of 099414-01-08-1592214435108
    Among them are two figurines of Croatian skiing stars - siblings Ivica and Janica Kostelic - now retired. The latter is depicted skiing with only one pole as she famously did after dropping the other during a 2006 World Cup race when she won bronze. Image Credit: AFP
    15 of 17
    Copy of 099412-01-08-1592214432051
    "Everyone perceives this as a children's game but it is far from that," said Urbic's associate Zvonko Cebalo. "There is a concentration of knowledge - electronic, electric, IT, robotic." Image Credit: AFP
    16 of 17
    Copy of 099436-01-08-1592214466841
    A model train layout at the Backo Mini Train museum in Zagreb. Image Credit: AFP
    17 of 17
    Copy of 099422-01-08-1592214441841
    Antun Urbic, known as Backo, as he poses in the control room of his mini train museum in Zagreb. Image Credit: AFP

    Trending

    • 200,000 Buddhists mark holy day via Zoom
      OFFBEAT

      200,000 Buddhists mark holy day via Zoom


    • US ‘paperless visa’: What you need to know

      US ‘paperless visa’: What you need to know


    • Top ten movies and shows to watch this weekend in UAE

      Top ten movies and shows to watch this weekend in UAE


    • Look: What awaits visitors at the Green Zone in Dubai

      Look: What awaits visitors at the Green Zone in Dubai


    • Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani spill marriage secrets

      Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani spill marriage secrets


    • First day of COP28: Dubai welcomes world to Expo City

      First day of COP28: Dubai welcomes world to Expo City

    Latest In

    • See: Vicky Kaushal's anniversary post for Katrina Kaif

      44 minutes ago

    • Moving to Canada soon? Here's what you should know

      1 hour ago

    • ‘Convergence’ on final IEA, COP28 Presidency dialogue

      1 hour ago

    • Power outage in Sri Lanka due to a system failure

      1 hour ago

    • Three killed, hundreds evacuated in Italy hospital fire

      1 hour ago

    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • GN Store
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    • Printing Services
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Copy link
    Follow on Whatsapp
    Follow on Google
    Follow on Telegram
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or