Michael Scherrer, a 48-year-old content creator and gardener, has built a miniature Greek village in his backyard in Lake Konstanz, Switzerland, spending £10,000 on the project. Together with his brother Samuel, he has created a 15 by 15 metre theme park that includes white walls, blue shutters, cobbled streets, and a tiny bar, complete with plastic cats to mimic a Greek alleyway.
Passion project with challenges
The miniature Greek village is part of a larger backyard theme park that has cost £20,000 in total. Scherrer said it took longer than expected due to permissions and weather. 'It took longer than you think to build because of permissions in Switzerland – and having to break for the weather,' he explained. The site covers 600 square metres of a 1,500-square-metre property.
The brothers share their projects on social media, where they showcase the building process. 'The idea to construct the theme park came from us just wanting to garden and build,' Scherrer said.
Transporting visitors to Greece
Scherrer noted that the village aims to recreate the atmosphere of a sunny holiday destination. 'Because it’s summer, whenever I go in there I feel like I am transported,' he said. 'We tried to build the bar point so you are completely submerged in the mini village – and it really does feel like you are there.' Friends often take photos there and fool others into thinking they are on holiday. 'My sister did it once to her co-workers, and when she came back, six different people came up to her in the office and asked her how her holiday weekend was!'
More themed areas planned
The brothers have been working on miniature themed villages for over four years. Their Instagram account, started in November 2024, has over 70,000 followers. Other projects include a fairytale alley with a tower for Rapunzel, a garden with 150 tulips, a small Irish bar with Guinness, and Halloween-themed spaces. 'We have already made a Japanese garden with stonework and maple trees, and now we are planning to move on to a fishing village and a room for the guests – but we have to work this all out first,' Scherrer said.
Future plans include creating an apartment from the TV series 'Friends' and a pirate ship from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. The duo also plan to turn the Greek village into a guest room, advertising on Instagram that it will open on Airbnb in 2027. They have teased 'an exciting new project at a hotel' in Zermatt, Switzerland, coming in October.
