Lisbon hosts Europe’s largest exhibition of models built with Lego bricks

More than 15 million pieces make up this exhibition, which is open both to the curious and to die-hard fans of the famous coloured bricks. For children and adults, enthusiasts or simply the curious. At Europe's largest exhibition of LEGO models, there's room for everyone. The only limits are those set by the imagination. The numbers speak for themselves: two thousand square metres packed with models built from the famous colourful bricks. More than 15 million bricks have been used to build over 120 models, including four "super-models". According to Lukas Siwiec, who is in charge of the exhibition, these are structures "made from more than half a million LEGO bricks" and are therefore far more imposing than the rest. One of them is a replica of Air Force One. The exact number of bricks used to build this Boeing 747 at a scale of 1.7 is not entirely known. It is estimated that around one million bricks support the structure, which took half a year to build by a team of six people. According to the organisers, the model is nearly 11 metres long, 10 metres wide and three metres high. Impressive as it is, this aircraft is not the only attraction. At the exhibition, currently hosted at Cordoaria Nacional in Lisbon, visitors can see the "King of the Seas", a model inspired by a cruise ship whose intricate details are sure to fascinate anyone. More than 700,000 bricks were used to raise the structure. Visitors will also find the "Great Red Dragon", a figure inspired by a medieval dragon, and a Spinosaurus, a structure built from 900,000 bricks. But these are only the largest models; there are structures of every kind, covering a wide range of themes. "We also have several themed areas dedicated to the worlds of cinema and sport, to Star Wars and to educational displays about geography, biology and other sciences," the organiser explained. The exhibition, which has already visited 11 European countries, has now arrived in Lisbon for a season. "After Lisbon we will probably tour the Iberian Peninsula. If we don't go to Porto first, we may head straight to Madrid or Barcelona and even other major cities in Spain," said Lukas Siwiec. Most of the models on display were conceived, designed and built by the organisers themselves. At this exhibition you can do more than just look. The so-called Fun Zone is divided into three areas and is open to visitors of all ages, giving them the chance to let their imagination run wild and build their own creations. Alongside the model exhibition there is also the 3D Trick Gallery, a dedicated area for photographs and optical illusions, which is only accessible for an additional fee. The exhibition is open to visitors until 10 January.