A man has showcased the remarkable £10,000 miniature Greek village he built in his back garden – featuring authentic cobbled streets, blue shutters and a traditional bar.
Michael Scherrer, 48, a content creator from Lake Constance, Switzerland, spent a year building the unique attraction in a bid to create a summer getaway just yards from his home.
With the help of his brother, Samuel, 46, Michael has created a Mediterranean paradise – with the village forming part of a wider theme park that cost him £20,000 to build. The Greek village alone cost £10,000 to produce and spans just 15 by 15 metres.
Filled with magical rooms and themed areas inspired by different countries, ideas and seasons, his innovative garden also features a small Irish bar and narrow alleyways.
'I wanted to make somewhere we could sit in the theme park to have a chat with our clients, so I thought of this – it took longer than you think to build, and we had to break for the weather,' Michael said.
'The idea to build the theme park came from us just wanting to garden and build. All in all, we have 1,500 square metres to build over – and we have built on 600 square metres so far.'
The small village was designed in a bid to recreate the atmosphere of a sun-soaked holiday destination, complete with winding cobbled streets, bright blue shutters and a traditional-style bar area.
'Whenever I go in there, I feel like I am transported,' Michael revealed. '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.'
'My friends come to the bar and love taking pictures – they fool their friends, and people actually believe 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!'
Looking ahead, Michael already knows what the next few months hold. He said: 'I will leave the Greek village how it is right now with the homemade bar because there is not much point now that autumn is setting in, when I stop working on them until spring. Once spring comes though, I reckon I will put a bed in one of the little homes and make it a sort of guest room or somewhere visitors can stay.'
Beyond that, Michael is hoping to add a fishing village, and is even considering creating a 'pirate ship' in his garden.