84 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

The gigantic Atomium towering above Bruparck

The Atomium w

Boulevard du Centenaire, 1020 BRU.

Road Map A3. Tel (02) 4754775.

@ 84, 88. q Heysel. v 23, 51.

# 10am–6pm daily. & 0

http://www.atomium.be

Built for the 1958 World Fair,

the Atomium is arguably

Brussels’s most famous land-

mark structure. This model of

an iron atom, magnified 165

billion times, was designed by

the Belgian engineer André

Waterkeyn to reflect the new

age of science and space travel,

as well as to honour the coun-

try’s all-important metal indus-

try. Although the Atomium

was not originally intended to

be a permanent struc ture, it

proved to be a very popular

attraction. In recent decades, it

has undergone several rounds

of expen sive renovation, and

has now been res tored to its

original gleaming vision.

Each of the nine steel and

aluminium spheres that make

up the atom is 18 m (60 ft) in

diameter. They are linked

together by escalators in the

connecting tubes. Five of the

spheres, containing exhibition

rooms, are open to the public.

The upper most, rising 100 m

(328 ft) above the ground,

Domaine de

Laeken e

Laeken, 1020 BRU. Road Map A3.

@ 53, 84, 89. Q Heysel. v 19,

23, 52, 81, 94. http://www.tib.be Serres

Royales Avenue du Parc Royal,

1020 BRU. Tel (02) 5138940.

# late Apr–early May. & 8

reservations required. = http://www.

monarchie.be Pavillon Chinois and

Tour Japonais Avenue Van Praet

44, 1020 BRU. Tel (02) 2681608.

# 9:30am–5pm Tue–Fri, 10am–

5pm Sat and Sun. & = http://www.

kmkg-mrah.be

The Belgian royal family’s

second, and preferred, resi-

dence is a large palace sur-

rounded by parkland in the

northern suburb of Laeken.

The 19th-century Château

Royal de Laeken is not open

to the public. However, the

huge and beautiful green-

houses, the Serres Royales,

built in the 1870s, are open

for guided tours in spring.

The park provides a pleasant

open space for walks and pic-

nics. To the northeast are two

Bruparck q

Boulevard du Centenaire, 1020 BRU.
Road Map A3. Tel (02) 4748383.
@ 84, 88. q Heysel. v 23, 51.
http://www.bruparck.com Mini-Europe
Tel (02) 4741313. # Apr–Jan; see
website for details. http://www.minieurope.
be Océade Tel (02) 4784320.

year-round. & Kinepolis

Tel (02) 4742600. & for films. 0

Although nowhere near as
large or as grand as many
of the world’s other theme
parks, Bruparck is neverthless
a popular family destination.
The first and favourite port
of call is Mini-Europe, where
more than 300 miniature
reconstructions take visitors
around the buildings of the
European Union. Built on a
scale of 1:25, the collec tion
displays buildings of social or
cultural importance, including
the Acropolis from Athens, the
Brandenburg Gate from Berlin
and the Houses of Parliament
from London.
For film fans, Kinepolis is
hard to beat. Popular films
from many different countries
can be viewed in large audi-
toriums and on 25 screens.
The Village is a ped estrianized
imitation Flemish village, with
plentiful food out lets and
children’s entertain ment.
Another major attraction is
Océade, a tropically heated
water park complete with
wave machines, giant slides,
bars, cafés and even realisti-
cally re-created sandy beaches.

The small-scale model of London’s
Houses of Parliament, Mini-Europe

provides a stunning panaromic

view over the cityscape of

Brussels, and has a smart

restaurant at the top.

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp263 and pp286–7