Bert van Houten, Kermis attracties in miniatuur / Fairground attractions in miniature

images are screenprints from the video in the docmentation

A collection of miniature creations can be seen as an art environment on a smaller scale, as is the case, for example, with the collection of miniature vehicles that Willem van Genk -from the Netherlands-  had brought together in his home.

The following post addresses a similar situation, albeit one involving a collection of fairground attractions in miniature, handcrafted and assembled by Bert van Houten, also from the Netherlands.

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Life and works

Born in the early 1940s, Bert van Houten currently lives in Liempde, a village part of the municipality of Boxtel in the Dutch province of North Brabant. 

At the age of seven he crafted a merry-go-round from a cardboard box and he would carry this interest with him throughout all of his his life.

Currently in his early 80s, he owns a collection of five miniature fairground attractions. 

As the images in this post show, his creations are incredibly realistic and accurate down to the smallest details.

Each of the structures he created required thousands of hours of work, often taking five years to complete. He made every part himself and did everything from memory, working without drawings.

And if something went wrong, he would start again.

Bert van Houten wasn't just fascinated by creating miniature amusement rides, he was also interested in the fair itself.

So for many years he was vice-chairman of the fondation for Kermis Cultuur in Nederland.(Fair Culture in the Netherlands).

With his miniature attractions he was a regular guest at the renowned Dutch fair in Tilnurg, a town in the south of the Netherlands. The fair was the largest in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg (Benelux). 

When Bert van Houten in 2016 approached the age of 75, he announced his intention to retire from the fairground industry.

Van Houten's creations were not only on display at the Tilburg fair, but were also regularly exhibited in nursing homes, often accompanied by gatherings for residents featuring singing and music. 

The residents of these homes found these gatherings a fond memory of times gone by and the appreciation Bert van Houren received was the crowning glory of his work.

Documentation

* Article (October 2022) in newspaper DTV nieuws

* Article ((October 2022) by Omroep Brabant

Video

* Video (YouTube, August 2025,  4'58") by Mediamannen

Bert van Houten

Fairground attractions in miniature

Liempde, Noord-Brabant province, Netherlands