.jpg) Altiero Spinelli building seen from the Simone Veil Agora (part of the Mall) | |
  Location within Brussels Show map of Brussels  Esplanade of the European Parliament (Belgium) Show map of Belgium | |
| Namesake | European Parliament |
|---|---|
| Type | Esplanade |
| Location | City of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium |
| Quarter | Leopold Quarter |
| Postal code | 1047 |
| Coordinates | 50°50′20″N4°22′26″E / 50.83889°N 4.37389°E /50.83889; 4.37389 |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 2002 |
TheEsplanade of the European Parliament (French:Esplanade du Parlement européen;Dutch:Esplanade van het Europees Parlement), or simplythe Mall, is apedestrian mall inBrussels, Belgium, completed in 2002. Its most representative parts are theSolidarność 1980 Esplanade and theSimone Veil Agora.[1] It is served byBrussels-Luxembourg railway station.
The Mall runs the central length of theEspace Léopold (theEuropean Parliament buildings in Brussels), with the Alterio Spinelli building to the east and the Willy Brandt and József Antall buildings to the west, joined to the former by the circular Konrad Adenauer footbridge running over the Mall. The formerBrussels-Luxembourg railway station building (see below) has been converted into an information centre and fronts onto thePlace du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein.
The Mall itself covers a once over-groundrailway station, the Brussels-Luxembourg railway station (formerly known as the Leopold Quarter railway station). The paving over the top of the station allowed the construction of the European Parliament and created a direct link between the Place du Luxembourg to the west andLeopold Park to the east. The railway station's old entrance, since converted into part of the parliamentary complex, is replaced by a glass covered stairway rising out of the Mall's southern portion. The far south end is flanked by low-rise apartment blocks and is adjacent to local museums.
The Mall has been criticised for "leading nowhere" as, aside from the European Parliament and railway station, it is devoid of life. Parliamentary authorities did not wish to share the site with private enterprise, primarily for security reasons, and hence there are no shops or services along its entire length.[2] There are plans to extend it along the railway tracks to the north, meeting up with theBerlaymont building on theRue de la Loi/Wetstraat and to the south, i.e. theEuropean Commission's extra 'pole' of buildings inAuderghem.[3] However, residential opposition and delays mean this is not likely and it was not included as an option in recent architectural competitions.
The Mall is largely light pink and whiteflagstone, with the southern segment broken by grassy areas running down its centre. It curves following the layout of the train station below and the parliamentary buildings above built around the tracks. In the stone in the northern segment are engraved marble slabs in the ground commemorating the first meeting of theWorld Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty on 17 October 1987 inParis. They are written in four languages and contains a quote from the French priest and humanitarian activistJoseph Wresinski and a commemoration of the 29 May 2002 follow-up meeting in Brussels.
In the re-planning of theEuropean Quarter, the "public stature" of the Mall is to be reinforced, along with the east-west connections. The northern end, which cuts off suddenly at theRue Belliard/Belliardstraat, is to be improved, subject to an architectural competition. The southern segment will also be improved with better connections to residences, the park and the local museums. The Brussels government also seeks ideas on how to bring more life to the Mall.[4]
According to the Brussels government, the termthe Mall, translated from the Frenchle Mail, was given by the designers in reference to the game of mail (a form ofcroquet) that was played in 16th-century France on a raised grassy valley adjoining theTuileries Palace Gardens. The proximity of Leopold Park to the esplanade, which was originally higher, led the designers to apply the term.[4]
The central and most representative part of the Mall was named theSolidarność 1980 Esplanade and runs parallel to theRue de Trèves/Trierstraat between theChaussée de Wavre/Steenweg op Waver and the Rue Belliard. This alludes to theSolidarność trade union andsocial movement, which is a symbol of the fight against theIron Curtain because it played a central role in bringing Poland's suppressiveCommunist regime to an end in 1989. The central part of the esplanade between the Altiero Spinelli building and Place du Luxembourg was named theSimone Veil Agora in honour of the French politicianSimone Veil, a formerpresident of the European Parliament and survivor from theAuschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.[1]
On 3 June 2010, the Belgianpresidency of the Council of the European Union arranged a dance event, show and concert on the Esplanade and the Place du Luxembourg, inviting members of the public. Among the artists performing on the stage erected on the Agora of Solidarity wereBrian Molko,Stromae andSandra Kim. The celebration, themed "I ♥ EU" (pronounced"I love you"), ended with a fireworks display and a "late-night after party hosted by a top DJ". Belgian television broadcast the event, which also was available through theEurovision network and on the website of the presidency.[5]
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Media related toEsplanade of the European Parliament at Wikimedia Commons
