Mini-Europe

Mini-Europe is a park located at Bruparck with the foot of the Atomium to Brussels. The park presents reproductions of the most beautiful monuments of the European Union on the scale 1/25. Approximately 80 cities and 350 houses are exposed.

The park is famous by the quality of its models of which some cost up to 350.000 euros (Grand-Place of Brussels). The park contains many animations (train, mills, eruption of the Vesuvius, Airbus, trucks wire-guided… A guide gives the details on all the monuments. At the end of the course an interactive exposure “Spirit off Europe” presents the European Union in the form of interactivities and of plays.

The park is built on 24.000 m ². The basic investment was of 10 million euros in 1989 during the inauguration by Prince Philippe of Belgium.

The construction of the monuments

The monuments were selected for their architectural quality or their European symbol. For this first selection, it is necessary to find the plans and the photographs. This phase cost more than 200.000 euros of research. The majority of the monuments are built by Moulage. The parts are built starting from various materials, then copied by silicone moulding. The final copy is made of epoxy resin (at the beginning) and of polyester (currently). Three monuments were carried out hones (ex of it: the Turn of Pisa, out of marble). A novel method of milling per computer was used for two models.

Then painting comes. Finally, the monument is installed on the spot with decorations and light. Saint-Jacob de Compostelle required more than 24.000 work hours.

Many monuments were financed by the countries or areas of Europe.

Animations

All large miniature park animates the places with various animations: trains, mills, sounds, eruption of Vesuvius, falls of the Berlin Wall, gondoles in Venice, trucks wire-guided… These animations are industrial prototypes to resist the many hours of exploitation and the various seasons (freezing, rain, heat).

Gardens

Floor coverings, tree-dwarves, Bonsai S and trees grafted are used close to the miniature monuments, whereas traditional bushes and flowers decorate the walk.

The guide of Mini-Europe

A booklet-guide gives very many information and anecdotes on the monuments and the European Union.

Spirit off Europe

At the end of the course, reserved space with the European Union presents in a short way its history, its successes, its culture, the operation of its institutions, the large market, the reasons of widening, in general in the form of plays. For the schools, there exist many teaching projects.

For all these activities, Mini-Europe received the moral support of the European commission and the the European Parliament.

Tourism of Brussels

With 300.000 visitors per annum and 3 million Euro S of turnover, Mini-Europe is one of the first attractions of Brussels.

List miniatures visible in Mini-Europe

See too

External bond

Official site

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