The Heysel Plateau (french: Plateau du Heysel, nl, Heizelplateau) or Heysel Park (french: Parc du Heysel, links=no, nl, Heizelpark, links=no), usually shortened to Heysel () or Heizel (), is a neighbourhood, park and exhibition space in
Laeken
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the ...
, northern
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium, where the
Brussels International Exposition of 1935 and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (
Expo '58
Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...
) took place.
The
Atomium
The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exh ...
, a
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
ic
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
structure, originally built for Expo '58, is the most impressive monument on the Heysel Plateau, and is now considered a
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
of Brussels. Opposite it, the Centenary Palace is one of the remaining buildings of the 1935 World's Fair. It was also the venue for the
32nd Eurovision Song Contest in 1987. Currently, it is home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre (
Brussels Expo
The Brussels Exhibition Centre (french: Parc des Expositions de Bruxelles, nl, Tentoonstellingspark van Brussel), also known as Brussels Expo, is the most important event complex in Brussels, Belgium. Located on the Heysel Plateau, Heysel/Heiz ...
), the city's most important event complex and the largest exhibition space in the
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...
.
The Heysel Plateau was also the location of the Heysel Stadium, Belgium's
national stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, originally built in 1930. After the
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster ( it, Strage dell'Heysel ; german: link=no, Katastrophe von Heysel ; french: Drame du Heysel ; nl, Heizeldrama ) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when mostly Juventus fans escaping from a breach by ...
of 1985, which claimed the lives of 39 spectators at the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
final, it was rebuilt and renamed the
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium (french: Stade Roi Baudouin , nl, Koning Boudewijnstadion ) is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. Located in the Heysel district of the City of Brussels, it was built to embellish the Heysel Plateau in v ...
. The Bruparck entertainment park (with among others
Mini-Europe
Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in ''Bruparck'', 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 o ...
miniature park
A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village ...
and
Kinepolis
The Kinepolis Group is a Belgian-French cinema chain with 110 theaters in Europe and North America. It is Europe’s third-largest cinema chain.
History
The Kinepolis Group is a Belgian cinema chain formed in 1997 as a result of the merger of t ...
cinema) and the
Planetarium
A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
of the
Royal Observatory of Belgium
The Royal Observatory of Belgium (french: link=no, Observatoire Royal de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België), has been situated in the Uccle municipality of Brussels (Belgium) since 1890. It was first established in Saint-Josse ...
are also located there, as is
Palais 12/Paleis 12, a large indoor arena which hosts concerts and spectacles for a maximum capacity of 15,000 people.
This site is served by
Heysel/Heizel metro station
Heysel ( French) or Heizel (Dutch) is a Brussels Metro station on line 6.https://www.metrolinemap.com/station/brussels/heysel-heizel/ It is located in Laeken, in the north-west of the City of Brussels, Belgium, and serves the Heysel/Heizel ...
on
line 6 of the
Brussels Metro
The Brussels Metro (french: Métro de Bruxelles, nl, Brusselse metro) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three ''premetro'' lines. The me ...
.
Toponymy
The name ''Heysel'' derives from the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
word ', meaning "meager pasture" or "hill". There is also evidence of a brook in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, the Heyselbeek, a tributary of the Molenbeek brook, formed from several sources on the heights of Osseghem. ''Heyssel'' is retained as a toponym on the Huvenne map of 1848 and in the ''Geographical Dictionary of Letter Posts of the Kingdom of Belgium'' of 1857.
The terms ''Heysel'' in French and ''Heizel'' in Dutch have in fact gradually imposed themselves to fairly broadly designate this district of Laeken, to the detriment of two other toponyms which designate more precise parts of it: ''Hossegem Dries'' to the north-west, at the current location of Osseghem Park, and ''Kauwenberg'' to the south-east, around the Chapel of St. Anna.
History
Rural beginnings
The Osseghem estate on the Heysel Plateau was first mentioned in the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and may have been on the site of a former
Roman villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Typology and distribution
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...
. In 1152, a sale of the ''Hof van Ossegem'' by the heirs of Meinard van Brussel to
Affligem Abbey
Affligem Abbey ( nl, Abdij Affligem, french: Abbaye d'Affligem) is a Benedictine abbey in the municipality of Affligem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium, to the north-west of Brussels. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monastery in the Du ...
is documented, which also included the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken. This church, whose origins date back to the 8th century, was located nearby, as was the Chapel of St. Anna with its miraculous spring, which attracted many
pilgrim
A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...
s.
During the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for "ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
, the Heysel Plateau was still largely owned by the Affligem fathers, and the area belonged to the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of
Laeken
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the ...
. At the height of the plateau were two other hamlets: Vleurgat (or Verregat) and Osseghem. The latter was found just south of today's
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium (french: Stade Roi Baudouin , nl, Koning Boudewijnstadion ) is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. Located in the Heysel district of the City of Brussels, it was built to embellish the Heysel Plateau in v ...
and gave its name to today's Osseghem Park, while Vleurgat was further north, near the /, where the Vleurgat residential area is today.
![Ancienne église Notre-Dame de Laeken - 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Ancienne_%C3%A9glise_Notre-Dame_de_Laeken_-_01.JPG)
In the 16th century, the Coensborgh Castle occupied an island on a pond formed by the Molenbeek. It was the property of the Meeûs family in the 17th century. In the 18th century, the beauty of the landscape motivated the construction of the
Stuyvenberg Castle in 1725, the Palace of Schonenberg (today's
Royal Palace of Laeken
The Palace of Laeken or Castle of Laeken (french: Château de Laeken, nl, Kasteel van Laken, german: Schloss zu Laeken) is the official residence of the King of the Belgians and the Belgian Royal Family. It lies in the Brussels-Capital Regio ...
) between 1782 and 1784,
and the
Belvédère Castle
Belvédère Castle (French language, French: ''Château du Belvédère''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Kasteel Belvédère'') is a Belgian royal residence in Laeken, Belgium, which currently houses Albert II of Belgium and his wife, Queen Paola of Be ...
in 1788. The
Ferraris map
The Ferraris map or map of the Austrian Netherlands is a historical map created between 1770 and 1778 by the count Joseph de Ferraris in response to a request by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. It is the first systematic, large scale mapp ...
of 1777 does not show these first two castles but indicates the Osseghem farm, located a little south of the current King Baudouin Stadium. The Osseghem farm grew into a small village, which, in the 18th century, also included a ''Speelhuys''; a pavilion where the
Archbishop of Mechelen
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
stayed when visiting Brussels.
Numerous
quarries
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...
were also operated on the Heysel Plateau, which supplied the building material for, among other things, the Abbey Church of Affligem, the Church of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel, the Jesuit Church in Antwerp and the Church of Our Lady of Finistère in central Brussels. Quarrying ceased towards the end of the 17th century, though traces can still be seen on the slopes to the east, in the Kattenberg and the depressions in Osseghem Park.
19th-century urbanisation
![Laeken (Bruxelles)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Laeken_%28Bruxelles%29._Institut_d%27%C3%A9conomie_m%C3%A9nag%C3%A8re_agricole_d%27Hosseghem_02.jpg)
At the end of the 19th century, the Heysel still had a distinctly rural character, although there were already plans to develop it into a new urban area. In 1850, the
Belgian Government
The Federal Government of Belgium ( nl, Federale regering, french: Gouvernement fédéral, german: Föderalregierung) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretary of state ("junior", or deputy-mini ...
authorised the construction of a new
Church of Our Lady of Laeken
nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van Laken
, native_name_lang =
, image = Église Notre-Dame de Laeken (DSCF1248-DSCF1251).jpg
, imagesize = 271
, imagelink =
, imagealt =
, caption ...
, intended to replace the medieval building (destroyed except for its
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
, which is still visible in the
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
adjacent to the current church).
King Leopold I
* nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik
* en, Leopold George Christian Frederick
, image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg
, caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856
, reign = 21 July 1831 –
, predecessor = Erasme Loui ...
himself laid the first stone in 1854, although the new church, much larger than the old one, was not completed until 1909. In 1869, a school was inaugurated in the hamlet, probably on the /. The Rue du Heysel itself was attested in an official document in 1875, and stretched between the / and the / (today's /). The Villa Van der Borght was built in 1885 at the bottom of what is now the /, which was not yet laid out (the building will be razed in 1956), followed by the Church of St. Lambert around 1890.
Upon ascending to the throne, in 1865,
King Leopold II
* german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor
, house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
, father = Leopold I of Belgium
, mother = Louise of Orléans
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Brussels, Belgium
, death_date = ...
was concerned with the construction of a memorial to his father in the perspective of the Royal Palace of Laeken. The development of a surrounding public park was approved in 1867.
Laeken Park
() or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a se ...
was gradually developed between 1876 and 1880 based on plans by the German
landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...
Édouard Keilig, associated with the civil engineer Louis Van Schoubroeck. The park and the monument were completed in 1880, in time for the 50th anniversary of
Belgian Independence
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
T ...
. The king acquired more land on the Heysel in 1899. Plans to enlarge the Royal Palace lead to the demolition of the
barracks
Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
located on its right flank, where a detachment of
grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
s, responsible since 1840 for the surveillance of the royal palaces, had been stationed. A new barracks was constructed between 1899 and 1902, in a Flemish
neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style, according to the plans of the architect Jules-Jacques Van Ysendyck. The buildings are now made available by Belgium for the
European School, Brussels IV
The European School, Brussels IV is one of the thirteen European Schools, and the fourth to be established within the city of Brussels, home to many European Union (EU) institutions. Opened in 2007, the school was initially based in the Brussel ...
. In 1905, the 75th anniversary of the country's independence was celebrated with great fanfare, among others in Laeken Park. Later, the Institute of Agricultural Home Economics, a girls' school for agriculture and domestic science, was also set up in Osseghem.
Later development (1920s–present)
![JubileeStadium1935](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/JubileeStadium1935.jpg)
After the municipality of Laeken was annexed by the
City of Brussels
The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...
in 1921, the
Belgian State transferred some of Leopold II's former land to the city. Since the
Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark had become too cramped, Brussels' authorities wished to develop the Heysel into a new exhibition and conference location of international stature for the Belgian capital. The Centenary Palace complex (french: Palais du Centenaire, link=no, nl, Eeuwfeestpaleis, link=no) was designed by the architect Joseph Van Neck to house the
1935 World's Fair. The Jubilee Stadium on the Heysel was completed in 1930 as part of the centenary celebrations of the
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
T ...
. It was renamed the Heysel Stadium after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and then the King Baudouin Stadium in 1995.
![EXPO Bruxelles 1935-B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/EXPO_Bruxelles_1935-B.jpg)
In the 1950s, the Heysel underwent another major change in preparation for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (
Expo '58
Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...
). On that occasion, 58 additional buildings were constructed, as well as the
Atomium
The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exh ...
, a
symbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
ic
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
structure by the architect
André Waterkeyn
André Waterkeyn (23 August 1917 – 4 October 2005) was a Belgian engineer, born in Wimbledon, best known for creating the Atomium.
Waterkeyn was the economic director of Fabrimetal (now Agoria), a federation of metallurgical companies when in ...
. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
(specifically, a
unit cell
In geometry, biology, mineralogy and solid state physics, a unit cell is a repeating unit formed by the vectors spanning the points of a lattice. Despite its suggestive name, the unit cell (unlike a unit vector, for example) does not necessaril ...
), magnified 165 billion times. Originally devoted to science, it would become a
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...
of Brussels. Following the fair, most of the exhibition pavilions were gradually demolished, including a few, particularly emblematic, such as the
Philips Pavilion
The Philips Pavilion was a World's Fair pavilion designed for Expo '58 in Brussels by the office of Le Corbusier. Commissioned by electronics manufacturer Philips, the pavilion was designed to house a multimedia spectacle that celebrated postwar ...
by
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
and the ''Flèche du Génie civil'' sculpture, dynamited in 1970. The Atomium remains the main vestige of this period.
The Brussels Exhibition Centre (
Brussels Expo
The Brussels Exhibition Centre (french: Parc des Expositions de Bruxelles, nl, Tentoonstellingspark van Brussel), also known as Brussels Expo, is the most important event complex in Brussels, Belgium. Located on the Heysel Plateau, Heysel/Heiz ...
) gradually expanded between 1977 and 1998 with the construction of the Palais/Paleis 11, 12 and the Auditorium. It now has twelve halls, linked together by covered galleries, and currently occupies of land, making it the most important event complex in the city and the largest exhibition space in the
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...
. The year 1985 was marked by the
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster ( it, Strage dell'Heysel ; german: link=no, Katastrophe von Heysel ; french: Drame du Heysel ; nl, Heizeldrama ) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when mostly Juventus fans escaping from a breach by ...
, a
crowd disaster, which caused 39 deaths during the final of the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
. Since then, the stadium has been redeveloped and renamed the King Baudouin Stadium. That same year, the
Heysel/Heizel metro station
Heysel ( French) or Heizel (Dutch) is a Brussels Metro station on line 6.https://www.metrolinemap.com/station/brussels/heysel-heizel/ It is located in Laeken, in the north-west of the City of Brussels, Belgium, and serves the Heysel/Heizel ...
opened. In 1987, the
32nd Eurovision Song Contest was organised in the Centenary Palace.
Future
Potential European Quarter
The ''Heysel Project'' was a potential
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU) "quarter" development in the Heysel. As part of that project, the area surrounding the
Atomium
The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exh ...
would have become, on the long term, a location for some of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
's buildings, according to a draft project developed by the
City of Brussels
The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...
.
The City of Brussels had previously decided to allocate this area to "infrastructures dedicated to the international vocation of Brussels" and planned to erect a convention centre of "international dimensions" with a capacity of 3,500 seats and an "important commercial centre." In January 2009, the Commission's then-spokeswoman Valerie Rampi confirmed that the EU executive was considering several proposals for a new location, with some of office space. On 15 September 2008, a draft entitled "Application file for the Heysel plain to host a new European quarter" was issued.
According to the draft project, the Heysel was to host a new branch of the
European School
A European School ( la, Schola Europaea) is a type of international school emphasising a multilingual and multicultural pedagogical approach to the teaching of nursery, primary and secondary students, leading to the European Baccalaureate as th ...
, where EU officials educate their children in their native tongues. This was made true in 2012 with the
European School, Brussels IV
The European School, Brussels IV is one of the thirteen European Schools, and the fourth to be established within the city of Brussels, home to many European Union (EU) institutions. Opened in 2007, the school was initially based in the Brussel ...
's move from
Forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
to its purpose built campus on the plateau. The area lies on a direct subway line connecting it to
Brussels' current European Quarter. The existing parking facilities, the biggest in Belgium, were also presented as a plus, as well as the planned new residential area and the proximity of parks and leisure facilities. The European Quarter would have remained the centre of the Commission's activities, but the body was also looking for "additional poles outside" this central area, in order to exert a downward pressure on real estate prices, according to
Siim Kallas
Siim Kallas (; born 2 October 1948) is an Estonian politician, former Prime Minister of Estonia, and former European Commissioner. He served as the European Commissioner for Transport between 2010 and 2014. Before that he was the European Commi ...
, the EU's then-
Commissioner for Administrative Affairs.
''Neo'' Project
In 2009, a new project called ''Neo'' was launched to renovate the Heysel. This new plan provides for the construction of 590 housing units, a new shopping centre called ''Mall of Europe'' and a new amusement park, as well as a new sports park. The total cost is estimated at €1 billion. The town planning permit was issued at the project is scheduled for completion by 2030. On 16 October 2020, the
mayor of the City of Brussels
This is a list of mayors or burgomasters of the City of Brussels.
Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482)
*1380: Geert Pipenpoy
*1381: Geert Pipenpoy and Jacques Stovaert
*1421: J. Swaeff, J. Cooman
*1422: Walter Vanden Heetvelde, Petrus van Bole ...
, Philippe Close, announced the definitive abandonment of part of the project, in particular the Congress Centre, but part of it, such as the mall, will remain.
Gallery
File:Atomium Belgium 1.jpg, The Atomium
The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exh ...
File:Palais des Expositions.jpg, Centenary Palace
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at ...
File:Stade Roi Baudouin.JPG, King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium (french: Stade Roi Baudouin , nl, Koning Boudewijnstadion ) is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. Located in the Heysel district of the City of Brussels, it was built to embellish the Heysel Plateau in v ...
File:P12 Exterior.png, Palais 12/Paleis 12
File:Laeken Blick vom Atomium aufs Messegelände 2.jpg, Trademart
File:Planetarium Royal Observatory Belgium.jpg, Planetarium
A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
File:Imax brussels.png, Kinepolis Brussels
Kinepolis Brussels is a Movie theater, cinema complex on the Heysel Plateau, Heysel in Brussels, Belgium, owned by the Kinepolis, Kinepolis Group.
History
It opened in 1988 as the first branch of the cinema chain and, with its 25 screens, was both ...
File:View of site from Atomium.JPG, Mini-Europe
Mini-Europe is a miniature park located in ''Bruparck'', 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 o ...
File:ADAM Brussels Design Museum.jpg, Design Museum Brussels
Design Museum Brussels is a museum located in Heysel Park, Brussels, Belgium. The space focuses on design works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
History
Arnaud Bozzini is the director of the museum.
The museum was established in 2015 thro ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Alexandre-Guillaume Chotin, ''Études étymologiques sur les noms des villes, bourgs, villages, hameaux, rivières et ruisseaux de la province du Brabant'' (in French), Paris, Brussels, Malo et Levasseur, s. d. (c. 1859).
* Arthur Cosyn, ''Les origines du domaine royal de Schoonenberg à Laeken'' (in French); Annales de la Société Royale d'Archéologie de Bruxelles, vol. 32, Wetteren, 1926.
* A. Paduart, J. Van Doosselaere, ''La Flèche du Génie Civil, au Heysel, Annales des Travaux Publics de Belgique'' (in French), no. 1-1958; Design and Construction of the Civil Engineering Arrow at the Brussels International Exhibition, Journal of the American Concrete Institute, Proc. vol. 57, July 1960, p. 51-72.
* Jean-Jacques Jespers, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux en Wallonie et à Bruxelles'' (in French), Lannoo, 2005.
* Jean-Jacques Jespers; Alphonse Wauters, ''Histoire des environs de Bruxelles'' (in French), vol. VI, reed. 1972.
* François Meunier, ''Dictionnaire géographique des postes aux lettres du royaume de Belgique'' (in French), J. Rozez, 1857.
* Wim van der Elst, ''De serres van Stuivenberg en omgeving. Een historische terugblik'' (in Dutch), LACA Tijdingen (local history periodical of the municipality of Laeken), special edition, September 2003.
* A. Van Nieuwenhuysen, R. Laurent, ''Inventaire des archives de la famille Van Reynegom de Buzet'' (in French), no. 1246-1253
*
External links
Atomium, Heysel Exhibition Park project information
{{Brussels topics
Parks in Brussels
Neighbourhoods of Brussels
City of Brussels
World's fair sites in Belgium