Belgium

#BrusselsInView: No #Brexit for Brussels’ Mini Europe attraction

Published

9 years ago

June 20, 2017

The UK may have made known its decision to leave the EU, but there is some good news for Remainers: the British monuments at Brussels' Mini Europe family park will stay - for the time being at least.

The fear was that it would not just be the EU that will shrink in the event of Brexit, but that several British models would have to be removed from Mini Europe. It had been feared that the British landmarks would have to go if a majority of the Brits decided to leave the EU. Of course, 52% of Brits did just that in the 23 June 2016 EU Referendum.

But there is good news for those who feared a British exit at the park where landmark European buildings are created in miniature. “Mini Europe will not remove its models of British landmarks,” said Thierry Meeùs, director of the popular Brussels tourist attraction. "The Brexit negotiations will take at least two years. In the meantime, (the UK) remains a member of the EU, and therefore so do our monuments."

Apart from nostalgic reasons there are good economic grounds for keeping Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and assorted other UK landmarks. "It would be a shame to remove the monuments, as the park just last year renewed them at a cost of €50,000," Meeus said, while pointing out that the British landmarks are "forever part of EU history". He added: "For the time being we are going to keep all the models – along with the Brexit demonstration which we created during the referendum."

If, and when, the UK finally exits the EU, one possibility is to put up a sort of fence, Meeus explains. "And then we’d have to explain this was once a member but not any longer. Maybe we could organize an exhibition that would explain why the British voted the way they did. And pose the question, was it really a good idea or not?”

As well as the Houses of Parliament, which was recently renovated, there’s also Stratford-upon-Avon with Shakespeare’s houses, Dover Castle and a miniature British intercity train plus the latest attraction – a miniature Brexit demonstration in front of the Commons.

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