Page 90 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Belgium & Luxembourg

88  BEL GIUM AND L UXEMBOURG REGION B Y REGION

w The Atomium the public. The uppermost,
rising 102 m (335 ft) above the
Atomium Square, 1020 BRU.
Road Map A3. Tel (02) 4754775. ground, provides a panaromic
@ 84, 88. q Heysel. v 3, 7, 19, 51, 93. view over the cityscape of
Open 10am–6pm daily. & 0 Brussels, and has a smart
∑ atomium.be restaurant at the top.
Built for the 1958 World Fair, the e Domaine de
Atomium is arguably Brussels’s
most famous landmark structure. Laeken
Representing an elementary Laeken, 1020 BRU. Road Map A3.
iron crystal magnified 165 @ 47, 49, 53, 57, 84, 88, 89.
billion times, it was designed q Heysel, Bockstael. v 3, 7, 19, 62, 93.
by the Belgian engineer André Serres Royales: Avenue du Parc Royal,
Waterkeyn to reflect the new 1020 BRU. Tel (02) 5138940. Open late
age of science and space Apr–early May. & 8 reservations
travel, as well as to honour required. = ∑ monarchie.be
the country’s all-important Pavillon Chinois and Tour Japonais:
metal industry. Although the Avenue Van Praet 44, 1020 BRU.
The small-scale model of London’s Houses Atomium was not originally Tel (02) 2681608. Closed for
of Parliament, Mini-Europe intended to be a permanent renovations. & =
struc ture, it proved to be a very ∑ kmkg-mrah.be
q Bruparck popular attraction. In recent
decades, it has undergone The Belgian royal family’s second,
Boulevard du Centenaire, 1020 BRU.
Road Map A3. Tel (02) 4748383. several rounds of expen sive and preferred, residence is a
@ 84, 88. q Heysel. v 3, 7, 19, renovation, and has now large palace surrounded by
51, 93. ∑ bruparck.com been res tored to its original parkland in the northern suburb
Mini-Europe: Tel (02) 4741313. gleaming vision. of Laeken. The 19th-century
Open Apr–Jan; see website for Each of the nine spheres that Château Royal de Laeken is not
details. ∑ minieurope.be make up the crystal is 18 m (60 ft) open to the public. However, the
Océade: Tel (02) 4784320. Open year- in diameter. They are linked huge and beautiful greenhouses,
round. & ∑ oceade.be together by escalators and stairs the Serres Royales, built in the
Kinepolis: Tel (02) 4742600. & for in the connecting tubes. Five 1870s, are open for guided tours
films. 0 ∑ kinepolis.be of the spheres, containing in spring. The park provides a
exhibition rooms, are open to pleasant open space for walks
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 recon-
structions 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 Athens’s Acropolis,
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and
London’s Houses of Parliament.
For film fans, Kinepolis is
hard to beat. Popular films from
many different countries can be
viewed in large auditoriums and
on 25 screens. The Village is a
pedestrianized 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 realistically re-created
sandy beaches. The gigantic Atomium towering above Bruparck
For hotels and restaurants see p266 and pp282–3

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