Heysel Plateau

Plateau du Heysel (in French)
Heizelplateau (in Dutch)
Plateau du Heysel (in French); Heizelplateau (in Dutch)
	The Centenary Palace viewed from the top of the Atomium
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
Type	Exhibition complex
Location	Laeken, City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates	50°54′00″N 4°20′13″E / 50.900000°N 4.337000°E
Public transit access	Heysel/Heizel

The Heysel Plateau (French: Plateau du Heysel, Dutch: Heizelplateau) or Heysel Park (French: Parc du Heysel, Dutch: Heizelpark), usually shortened to Heysel (French: [ɛizɛl]) or Heizel (Dutch: [ˈɦɛizəl] (listen)), is an area of Laeken, in northern Brussels (Belgium), where the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58) took place.

The Atomium, built for Expo '58, is the most impressive monument in the Heysel Park. The Centenary Palace (French: Palais du Centenaire, Dutch: Eeuwfeestpaleis) is one of the remaining buildings of the World's Fair of 1935. It was also the venue for the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest in 1987. Currently, it is home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre (Brussels Expo).^[1]

The Heysel Park was also the location of the Heysel Stadium, built in 1930. After the Heysel Stadium disaster of 1985, which claimed the lives of 39 spectators at the European Cup final, it was rebuilt and renamed the King Baudouin Stadium. The Bruparck entertainment park (with among others Mini-Europe miniature park and Kinepolis cinema) and the Planetarium are also located in the Heysel, 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 on line 6 of the Brussels metro.

History[]

During the Ancien Régime, the Heysel Plateau was largely owned by the Affligem fathers, and the area belonged to the parish of Laeken. 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. King Leopold II had started acquiring land on the Heysel in 1899, and after the former municipality of Laeken was annexed by the City of Brussels in 1921, the Belgian state transferred this land to the city.

Since the Cinquantenaire Park had become too cramped, Brussels' authorities wished to develop the Heysel into the new exhibition and conference location for the Belgian capital. The Centenary Palace complex was designed by the architect Joseph Van Neck to house the 1935 World's Fair.^[2] The Jubilee Stadium on the Heysel was completed in 1930 as part of the centenary celebrations of the Belgian Revolution. It was renamed the Heysel Stadium after the Second World War, and then the King Baudouin Stadium in 1995.^[3]

In the 1950s, the Heysel underwent another major change in preparation for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58). On that occasion, the Atomium was erected. It would become one of the symbols of Brussels. Following the fair, most of the exhibition pavilions were gradually demolished, including a few, particularly emblematic, such as the Philips Pavilion by Le Corbusier 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) gradually expanded between 1977 and 1998 with the construction of Palaces 11, 12 and 1. It now has 12 palaces, linked together by covered galleries, and currently occupies 22 ha (54 acres) of land. In 1987, the 32nd Eurovision Song Contest was organised in one of the halls of this exhibition space.

View of the Jubilee Stadium in 1935
The Palais des Expositions during the 1935 World's Fair
The Philips Pavilion during Expo '58

Future[]

Potential European Quarter[]

The Heysel Project was a potential European Union (EU) "quarter" development in the Heysel. As part of that project, the area surrounding the Atomium would have become, on the long term, a location for some of the European Commission's buildings, according to a draft project developed by the City of Brussels.^[4]

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 100,000 m² (1,100,000 sq ft) of office space. On 15 September 2008, a draft entitled "Application file for the Heysel plain to host a new European quarter" was issued.^[4]

According to the draft project, the Heysel was to host a new branch of the European School, where EU officials educate their children in their native tongues. 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, the EU's then-commissioner for administrative affairs.^[4]

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.^[5] The total cost is estimated at €1 billion.^[6] The town planning permit was issued at the project is scheduled for completion by 2030.^[7] On 16 October 2020, the mayor of the City of Brussels, Philippe Close, announced the definitive abandonment of part of the project, in particular the Congress Centre,^[8] but part of it, such as the mall, will remain.^[9]