Page 79 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Brussels Bruges Ghent & Antwerp

THE UPPER T OWN  77

d Institut Royal des
Sciences Naturelles
Rue Vautier 29, 1000 BRU. Map 3 A4.
Tel (02) 627 4211. @ 12, 21, 22, 27, 34,
36, 38, 54, 59, 60, 64, 79, 80, 95.
q Maelbeek, Schuman, Trône.
Open 9:30am–5pm Tue–Fri
(10am–6pm during school hols),
10am–6pm Sat & Sun. Closed Mon,
1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. & 8 7 -
= ∑ sciencesnaturelles.be
The Institut Royal des Sciences
Naturelles is best known for
its fine collection of iguanadon
skeletons dating back 250
The European parliament behind the trees of Parc Léopold in the Parliament Quarter million years. The museum
also contains interactive and
s Parliament Parliament, offers an interactive educational displays covering
Quarter and impressively high-tech all eras of natural history.
introduction to this often
Map 3 A4. @ 12, 21, 22, 27, 36, 38, 54, misunderstood institution.
59, 60, 64, 80, 95. q Maelbeek, There is a space-age 360-degree f Parc Léopold
Schuman. digital surround screen, a
Tunnel of Voices in which the Rue Belliard. Map 3 B4. @ 12, 21, 22,
27, 36, 59, 60, 64, 79, 80. q Maelbeek,
The vast, modern, steel-and- multitude of EU languages Schuman.
glass complex, situated just can be heard, and a touch-
behind Quartier Léopold train screen feature that allows Parc Léopold is a public park
station, is one of three homes of visitors to meet the MEPs that occupies part of the
the European Parliament, the who shape European laws. grounds of an old estate.At
elected body of the European The Luna Game scavenger the end of the 19th cent ury,
Union. Its permanent seat is in hunt – with a prize at the scientist and industrialist
Strasbourg, France, where the end – is designed to keep Ernest Solvay put forward the
plenary sessions are held once a younger children entertained. idea of a science park devel-
month. The administrative As this is a major government opment. Solvay was given the
centre is in Luxembourg and building, it is a good idea to Parc Léopold, the site of a zoo
the committee meetings take photo ID when visiting since 1847, and set up five
are held in Brussels. so as to ensure access. Visitors uni versity centres here. Leading
This gleaming state-of-the-art should also expect airport-style figures including Marie Curie
building has many admirers, not security checks on entry. and Albert Einstein met here
least the parliamentary workers to discuss new scientific issues.
and MEPs themselves. But it is Parlamentarium The park is still home to many
not without its critics: the huge Rue Wiertz 60, 1047 BRU. Tel (02) scientific institutes, as well as a
domed structure housing the 283 2222. Open 1–6pm Mon, haven of peace in the heart of
hemicycle that seats the 700- 9am–6pm Tue–Fri, 10am–6pm Sat this busy political area. A walk
plus MEPs has been dubbed the & Sun. 7 - = around the pond follows the
“caprice des dieux” (“whim of the ∑ europarl.europa.eu old path of the Malbeek River.
gods”), which refers both to the
shape of the building – similar
to a French cheese of the
same name – and to its lofty
aspirations. Many people also
regret that, to make room for
the new complex, a large part of
Quartier Léopold has been lost,
though there are still plenty of
lively bars and restaurants on
Place Luxembourg, in front of
the parliament. When the MEPs
are absent, the building is often
used for meetings of European
Union committees.
Parlamentarium, the visitor’s
centre of the European Whale skeleton inside the Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles

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