Mini-Europe

helenka
helenka
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
Editor Pick

Mini-Europe

  • June 30, 2003
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Dodomyte from Austin, Texas
Despite the reviews that suggested that Mini-Europe was primarily for kids, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Perhaps we're just kids at heart! The attraction is located in the Brupark, the same park as the Atomium and a water park. It is easy to get to if you take the subway or trams to the Heizel stop.

Mini-Europe is a collection of models of the most famous sights throughout the various countries in the European Union. Everything, with a couple of exceptions, is built to 1/25th scale, so you can see how they compare to each other in terms of size. The detail is incredible, and the movements and other additions are a nice touch. The models are aligned with their counterparts in their respective countries, i.e. all of the sights in the UK are right near each other. At the entrance to each country, you can push a button and hear the national anthem. At other areas, you can push a button to make Mt. Vesuvius erupt or other little animations happen.

At the entrance, they give you a small booklet which gives data about each of the countries. The booklet also explains the significance of each of the models and in some cases, how long it took to make them. The booklet is more or less laid out in the same order as the exhibits, so it is pretty easy to follow along and read as you go. At the end of the tour along the park, there is an exhibit where you can play video and trivia games to learn more about the EU. As something that is a still evolving process, it was very interesting to learn about the goals and processes involved in creating a unified Europe.

The price for admission into the park in combination with the Atomium was 15.50 euro per person. The Atomium wasn't that impressive, but Mini-Europe was definitely worth it. Whether you have children or not, you should definitely go and check it out. In addition, there are a number of good restaurants in the Brupark that are pretty cheap compared to downtown Brussels. Check out the entry on the Happy Corner for a recommendation of a good restaurant.

From journal Beautiful Brussels

Mini_Europe

  • May 22, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by savella from Birmingham, United Kingdom
OK, once you are on the top of the Atomium, when you look down you can see the whole of Mini-Europe, which does look rather cute because everything is small. Mini-Europe is a small park, but the fun part is you get to see all the main attractions in Europe (i.e., the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower) in miniature size.

While I was there with my friend, we saw loads of kids with their parents learning about different cultures, which was good.

The nicest thing about Mini-Europe is you get to travel Europe on foot and for a cheap price.

From journal Brussels for a day

Editor Pick

Mini-Europe

  • October 1, 2000
  • Rated 3 of 5 by helenka from -, New Jersey
It is what it proclaims to be: a minature version of Europe (at least of its most prominent landmarks). It is, of course, very touristy--but what can you expect? It CAN be fun, IF (1) you are a small child (2) you are with a small child (3) you have the mindset of a small child. A special case: also fun, if you have a few Belgian beers in you (exactly how many depends on your level of tolerance). It provides for some great photo-ops (I'm Gulliver!). It is similar to Madurodam (mini-Holland, near the Hague), with one important difference: mini-Europe's models can be operated at the push of a button. You can make Vesuvius erupt, or--my personal favorite--reenact the fall of the Berlin wall. The best part comes after you've watched the bulldozer destroy a piece of the wall. The machine rewinds itself, and the fallen stones pop right back in. The wall is whole again (that is, until the next person pushes the button)! A final note: the exit was surprisingly difficult to find. Maybe, it was those beers after all...

From journal Brussels, the capital of Europe ???

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