Мини-Европа: Парк миниатюр в Брюсселе

Miniature park in Brussels, Belgium

Mini Europe is a miniature park located in the Bruparck entertainment park, at the foot of the Atomium, in Brussels, Belgium. Mini Europe has reproductions of monuments in the European Union and other countries within the continent of Europe on display, at a scale of 1:25. Roughly 80 cities and 350 buildings are represented. Mini Europe receives 350,000 visitors per year and has a turnover of €4 million. Mini Europe is the brainchild of Johannes A. Lorijn, who founded similar miniature parks in Austria and Spain. The park contains live action models such as trains, mills, an erupting Mount Vesuvius, and cable cars. A guide gives the details on all the monuments. At the end of the visit, the Spirit of Europe exhibition gives an interactive overview of the EU in the form of multimedia games. on its inauguration by then Prince Philippe of Belgium. 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.

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. Océade ultimately closed in October 2018. Mini Europe appeared to have an approved demolition permit in 2019. The 2020 season, marked by the COVID 19 pandemic in Belgium, was initially announced as the park's last. 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.

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. 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 ( 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. The Brussels Grand Place/Grote Markt model cost €375,000 to make. 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.

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. 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).

St. Mark's Church, Zagreb

St. Olaf's Castle, Savonlinna