Mini-Europe

File:Brussels 2005-04 - Atomium (4887785380).jpg under renovation]]

The original idea for the park originated from the Dutch businessman Johannes A. Lorijn who, in 1986, came up with the idea of creating a miniature park on the Heysel/Heizel site in Brussels. After his association with the Société régionale d'Investissement bruxelloise, which took a stake in the miniature park, he withdrew from the project following bad business fortunes. The park having already been sketched out and the models ordered, the Société approached the Walibi group, headed by Eddy Meeùs, about becoming a joint shareholder by taking over the designer's shares. In June 1988, Walibi's directors bought the business.Eddy Meeùs, Hors des sentiers battus : Du Kivu à Walibi, Beersel, Éditions Clepsydre, September 2002, D/2002/8166/2 éd., 349 p. (ISBN 2-930304-07-3).

The revised plan consisted of a new park section at Walibi Belgium in Wavre, but that idea proved too large for the amusement park, so a search was made for a location where it could open as a separate park. Mini-Europe was eventually built on the old site of the Meli Heysel/Heizel amusement park, a branch of the West Flanders-based Meli Park, which had closed in 1986. The initial investment was of 50 million Belgian francs.{{efn|name=fn1}} Mini-Europe opened in 1989 as part of Brussels' Bruparck entertainment park, which also housed a branch of the Kinepolis cinema chain and the Océade tropical water park, which closed in 2018. Then-Prince Philippe of Belgium inaugurated the site on 1 June 1989 with Thierry Meeùs at the helm.

Mini-Europe proved less profitable than the theme parks owned by the Meeùs family. The turnover was between 100 million and 120 million Belgian francs in the first few years.{{efn|name=fn2|Equivalent to €{{Inflation|BE|1.5|1995}} million and €{{Inflation|BE|2|1995}} million in {{Inflation/year|BE}} when taking into account inflation.}} The Escurial Monastery, the Palace of Westminster, the Nyhavn in Copenhagen, the Grand-Place/Grote Markt, the Arc de Triomphe, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Parthenon and the Brandenburg Gate were among the first models visible to visitors. Mini-Europe welcomed 300,000 visitors in 1998.{{Cite web |date=1999-04-28 |title=La Belgique, une terre de parcs d'attractions |url=https://www.lesoir.be/art/la-belgique-une-terre-de-parcs-d-attractions_t-19990428-Z0GPFN.html |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Le Soir |language=fr}} With 350,000 visitors in 2012 and €4 million in turnover, Mini-Europe has become one of Brussels' leading attractions. In 2018, 390,000 admissions were recorded.{{Cite web |title=À 30 ans, Mini-Europe bat son record de visites |url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/a-30-ans-mini-europe-bat-son-record-de-visites-10216882 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=RTBF |language=fr}}

Mini-Europe and Océade were threatened by the NEO project at the Heysel—a large shopping, residential and office project—and were originally due to close their doors at the end of 2013. This deadline was extended for a first time until the end of 2016.{{Cite web |date=2013-03-05 |title=Mini-Europa en Océade sluiten definitief de deuren |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20130305_00492319 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=De Standaard |language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web |date=2013-06-14 |title=Mini-Europa en Océade mogen toch op Heizel blijven |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20130614_00623157 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=De Standaard |language=nl-BE}}{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2013-06-25 |title=Mini-Europa en Océade tot eind 2016 op de Heizel |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2013/06/25/mini-europa_en_oceadetoteind2016opdeheizel-1-1662066/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}} Océade ultimately closed in October 2018.{{Cite web |last=NWS |first=VRT |date=2016-12-08 |title=Mini-Europa blijft op de Heizel |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2016/12/08/mini-europa_blijftopdeheizel-1-2838790/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}} Mini-Europe appeared to have an approved demolition permit in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Sloopvergunning voor Mini-Europa is binnen |url=https://www.bruzz.be/actua/sloopvergunning-voor-mini-europa-binnen-2019-11-09 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=www.bruzz.be |language=nl}} The 2020 season, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, was initially announced as the park's last.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-17 |title=Mini-Europe va fermer ses portes à la fin de l'année |url=https://www.lesoir.be/325654/article/2020-09-17/mini-europe-va-fermer-ses-portes-la-fin-de-lannee |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=Le Soir |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last=Belga |first=La Libre Eco avec |date=2024-03-09 |title=Mini-Europe vise un redémarrage |url=https://www.lalibre.be/economie/entreprises-startup/2020/09/29/mini-europe-vise-un-redemarrage-C34LSYQNC5EBJH4ULIPCCCAQYM/ |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=La Libre.be |language=fr}} Finally, an agreement was reached at the beginning of 2021 to extend operations until the arrival of NEO and to guarantee Mini-Europe's inclusion in NEO.{{Cite web |title=Definitief: Mini-Europa blijft dan toch in Brussel |url=https://www.bruzz.be/samenleving/definitief-mini-europa-blijft-dan-toch-brussel-2021-01-06 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=www.bruzz.be |language=nl}}

File:View of site from Atomium.JPG

The monuments exposed are selected for the quality of their architecture or their European symbolism. Numbering 165, the designers and model makers are Belgian, British, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Most of the monuments were made using moulds. The pieces are constructed from a variety of materials, then copied by silicone moulding. The final copy used to be cast from epoxy resin, but nowadays polyester is used.{{cite web |title=Press Kit 2020 |url=https://www.minieurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/EN_Press-kit-2020.pdf |website=Mini-Europe |access-date=14 November 2023}} Three of the monuments were made out of natural stone (e.g. the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Château de Chenonceau, in marble). A computer-assisted milling procedure was used for two of the models. After painting, the monuments are installed on site, together with decorations and lighting.

Many of the monuments were financed by European countries or regions. For instance, in 2008, Mini-Europe received: from the Hungarian Government, the gigantic Széchenyi Bath in Budapest ({{convert|8|by|6|m}} at Mini-Europe); from the Bulgarian Government, the Rila Monastery; and from the Government of Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), the Jahrtausendturm in Magdeburg. In collaboration with the Slovenian Government, Prešeren Square in Ljubljana was inaugurated with several Slovenian symbols.{{Cite web |last=Methode |date=2024-03-08 |title=Brèves |url=https://www.lalibre.be/regions/bruxelles/2008/03/20/breves-AUQOZINXTFDQXF5CDLWXOYZFV4/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=La Libre.be |language=fr}} The Brussels Grand-Place/Grote Markt model cost €375,000 to make. The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela required more than 24,000 hours of work.{{cite web |title=Flyer 2023 |url=https://www.minieurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Flyer-2023.pdf |website=Mini-Europe |access-date=14 November 2023}} Until 2018, no monuments from Rome were represented. The inauguration of the Trevi Fountain in 2019 to mark Mini-Europe's 30th anniversary filled this gap.{{Cite web |last=Vanwelde |first=Aurélie |date=2019-05-08 |title=Mini-Europe fête ses 30 ans et inaugure la fontaine de Trevi |url=https://bx1.be/communes/bruxelles-ville/mini-europe-souffle-ses-30-bougies-et-inaugure-la-fontaine-de-trevi/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=BX1 |language=fr-FR}}

In addition to static models, the park brings the site to life with a variety of animations: trains, windmills, sounds, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the fall of the Berlin Wall, gondolas in Venice, wire-guided lorries, etc.{{Cite web |title=The park |url=https://www.minieurope.com/en/the-park/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Mini-Europe |language=en-US}} These animations are industrial prototypes designed to withstand the many hours of operation and the different seasons (frost, rain, heat).

Ground cover plants, dwarf trees, bonsais and grafted trees are used alongside miniature monuments, and the paths are adorned with bushes and flowers. These paths are accessible for Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM).

File:The Spirit of Europe from Belgium.jpg

At the end of the tour, the area reserved for the European Union gives a brief presentation of its history, its successes, its culture, the workings of its institutions, the single market and the reasons for enlargement, usually in the form of multimedia games. There are also many educational projects for schools. For all these activities, Mini-Europe has received the moral support of the European Commission and the European Parliament.{{Cite web |title=Spirit of Europe |url=https://www.minieurope.com/en/spirit-of-europe/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Mini-Europe |language=en-US}}

{{Incomplete list|date=March 2024}}

{{div col}}

• Melk Abbey

• Grand-Place/Grote Markt (City Hall, City Museum, Flower Carpet and guild houses), Brussels
• Belfry, Bruges
• Town Hall, Leuven
• Castle of Vêves, Celles
• Citadel and Collegiate Church of Our Lady, Dinant
• Berlaymont building, Brussels
• Graslei (street) and Rabot, Ghent
• Alden Biesen Castle, Rijkhoven
• Grote Markt (City Hall, Brabo Fountain and guild houses), Antwerp
• Curtius House, Liège

• Rila Monastery, Rila Mountains

• St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

• Ancient Greek theatre, Kourion

• Old Town Hall, Prague

• Viking ring fort
• Nyhavn waterfront, Copenhagen
• Børsen (old stock exchange), Copenhagen

• Great Coastal Gate and Fat Margaret Tower, Tallinn

• St. Olaf's Castle, Savonlinna

• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Arc de Triomphe, Paris
• Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, Paris
• Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
• Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp
• Clos Vougeot, near Dijon
• Château de Chenonceau, Loire Valley
• Royal Saltworks, Arc-et-Senans

• Speyer Cathedral
• Eltz Castle, Wierschem
• Holstentor, Burgtor and Salzspeicher, Lübeck
• Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Wall, Berlin
• Bonngasse (street) with Beethoven's birth house, Bonn
• Wies Pilgrimage Church
• Porta Nigra, Trier
• Osthofentor, Soest
• Jahrtausendturm, Magdeburg

• Acropolis, Athens
• Traditional village, Santorini

• Széchenyi Bath, Budapest

• Glendalough monastery, County Wicklow
• Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary
• Gallarus Oratory, County Kerry

• Piazza dei Miracoli (Leaning Tower, Duomo and Baptistry), Pisa
• Trevi Fountain, Rome
• Doge's Palace and St Mark's Campanile, Venice
• Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
• Villa Capra (La Rotonda), Vicenza
• Trulli of Alberobello
• Mount Vesuvius

• Freedom Monument, Riga

• Vilnius University campus, Vilnius

• Adolphe Bridge, Luxembourg City

• Mnajdra temple, Qrendi

• Munttoren and Montelbaanstoren, Amsterdam
• City Hall, Maastricht
• Hoensbroek Castle, Hoensbroek
• Church and houses, Ootmarsum
• Abbey and Kloveniersdoelen, Middelburg
• Museum village of Orvelte
• Weigh House and Tax Tower, Alkmaar
• Windmills, Kinderdijk
• Hoofdtoren and Oude Doelenkade street, Hoorn
• Town Hall, Veere

• Artus Court, Gdańsk
• Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers, Gdańsk

• Belém Tower, Lisbon
• Castle of Guimarães
• Ribeira, Porto
• Traditional village of the Algarve
• Oceanarium, Lisbon

• Mogoșoaia Palace, near Bucharest

• Blue Church, Bratislava

• Prešeren Square with Tromostovje, Ljubljana

• Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
• El Escorial, San Lorenzo de El Escorial
• Plaza de Toros, Seville
• Christopher Columbus monument, Barcelona
• Landscape with windmills, La Mancha

• City Hall, Stockholm

• Independence Monument, Kyiv

• Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, London
• Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birth house, Anne Hathaway's cottage, etc.)
• Longleat House, Wiltshire
• Royal Crescent and Circus, Bath
• Dover Castle
• Arlington Row, Bibury

• Ariane 5
• Pride of Dover ferry
• An airport
• A Ferris wheel
• A North Sea oil platform
• TGV train
• Calypso (Jacques Cousteau's ship)

{{div col end}}

File:Brussels Mini Europe.jpg|Grand-Place/Grote Markt, Brussels ({{BEL}})

File:FFSW-1919 Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dinant.jpg|Collegiate Church of Our Lady, Dinant ({{BEL}})

File:Mini Europa Brüssel-1992 Palace of Westminster.jpg|Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower, London ({{GBR}})

File:FFSW-2033 Dover Castle.jpg|Dover Castle, Dover ({{GBR}})

File:Eiffel Tower of Paris at Mini Europe.jpg|Eiffel Tower, Paris ({{FRA}})

File:FFSW-2054 Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre.jpg|Sacré Cœur, Paris ({{FRA}})

File:FFSW-2160 Brandenburger Tor und Berliner Mauer.jpg|Brandenburg Gate and Berlin Wall, Berlin ({{GER}})

File:FFSW-2172 Burg Eltz.jpg|Eltz Castle, Wierschem ({{GER}})

File:FFSW-2139 Stift Melk.jpg|Melk Abbey, Melk ({{AUT}})

File:Fontana di Trevi Mini Europe.jpg|Trevi Fountain, Rome ({{ITA}})

File:View of miniature monuments of Pisa at Mini Europe 04.jpg|Leaning Tower, Pisa ({{ITA}})

File:FFSW-2120 Kathedrale von Santiago de Compostela.jpg|Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Santiago de Compostela ({{ESP}})

File:FFSW-2117 Stierkampfarena Sevillia.jpg|Maestranza, Seville ({{ESP}})

File:FFSW-2081 Oceanário de Lisboa.jpg|Oceanarium, Lisbon ({{POR}})

File:Mini Europe Athens.jpg|Acropolis, Athens ({{GRE}})

File:MiniE Copenhagen-Nyhavn.jpg|Nyhavn waterfront, Copenhagen ({{DEN}})

File:FFSW-1897 Olavinlinna.jpg|St. Olaf's Castle, Savonlinna ({{FIN}})

File:FFSW-2125 Tempel von Mnajdra.jpg|Mnajdra temple, Qrendi ({{MLT}})

File:FFSW-2192 Széchenyi-Heilbad.jpg|Széchenyi Bath, Budapest ({{HUN}})

File:Building from Prague at Mini Europe.jpg|Old Town Hall, Prague ({{CZE}})

File:FFSW-2185 Blaue Kirche (Sankt-Elisabeth-Kirche).jpg|Blue Church, Bratislava ({{SVK}})

File:Mogosoaia at Mini Europe.jpg|Mogoșoaia Palace, Mogoșoaia ({{ROM}})

File:Freedom monument of Riga at Mini Europe.jpg|Freedom Monument, Riga ({{LAT}})

File:FFSW-2193 St.-Markus-Kirche.jpg|St. Mark's Church, Zagreb ({{CRO}})

• Madurodam — model village in the Netherlands containing miniature famous Dutch landmarks
• Catalunya en Miniatura — miniature park located {{convert|17|km|abbr=on}} away from Barcelona, with an exhibition area of {{convert|35000|m2|abbr=on}} including all major buildings of Catalonia and of Antoni Gaudí
• Italia in miniatura — miniature park near Rimini, Italy
• Bekonscot — typical English village in miniature
• Huis ten Bosch — Japanese theme park modelled on the cities and landscape of the Low Countries
• Minimundus — miniature park in Klagenfurt, Austria

• {{Commons category-inline|Mini-Europe}}
• [http://www.minieurope.be/ Mini-Europe official website]
• [http://www.werbeka.com/europa/minieure.htm Mini-Europe in Brussels]
• {{cite web |first1=Yohann |last1=Koshy |title=These Photos of a Crumbling Pro-EU Theme Park Show a Europe in Existential Crisis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428041357/http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/a-model-continent-eu-postcards |archive-date=28 April 2016 |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-model-continent-eu-postcards/ |date=27 April 2016 |url-status=live |website=Vice}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

Category:Buildings and structures in Brussels

Category:Culture in Brussels

Category:Miniature parks

Category:Scale modeling

Category:Tourist attractions in Brussels