Mini Europe races to repair storm damage before reopening

Just as many parts of Belgium are still rebuilding after being hit by intense storms a couple of weeks ago, construction is underway on a smaller scale at Mini Europe in Brussels. 

The popular attraction, which features a miniature scale model of Europe’s most famous landmarks, is set to reopen on 26 March, RTL reports.

But many of the miniatures still need to be cleaned and reinstalled following damage they suffered during storms Eunice and Franklin. 

These storms damaged the tower of the town hall on the Grand Place in mini-Brussels and caused the collapse of the town hall in mini-Leuven.

The spire of the Brussels City Hall will be temporarily fixed for the reopening of the park, but the Leuven town hall will have to wait until July for repairs. Some parts have to be glued back together in a workshop, while others have to be completely rebuilt and then reinstalled on the site.

There’s also the usual work to be done before reopening for the tourist season, including cleaning the miniatures, repaving the paths and reinstalling the animations and gardening.

A popular attraction for tourists

Mini Europe includes 350 monuments reproduced in miniature and thousands of figurines.

The recent storms caused an estimated €50,000 worth of damage to the attraction, throwing a wrench into the seasonal reopening plans. 

Located near the Atomium, Mini-Europe displays Europe’s famous landmarks on a 1/25 scale, set in a garden of Bonsais, trees and flowers. 

The storm damage is said to be the worst ever suffered by the park, although its larger models, such as Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower, survived the strong winds intact. 

Fortunately, park officials had preemptively determined that the storms would be significant enough to warrant removing as many smaller parts and figures as possible for protection.