The History of World Expositions |
The Brussels World Exposition 1958
The site selected for the exposition was the Plateau von Heysel, a park near the Royal Laekener Castle to the north-west of the city. Covering around 200 hectares the grounds were approximately one third of the size of Brussels` city centre. The layout of the exhibition park was frequently compared with that of a cow. The rump of the cow provided the location for the Belgian section, where a number of exhibition rooms were erected surrounding a reception hall in which the economic, social, technical and scientific achievements of Belgium were showcased. These were complemented by comprehensive exhibitions presenting the development and culture of Belgian-Congo and Rwanda-Burundi - the two Belgian colonies in Africa, where amongst other things replicas of African villages were presented with examples of tropical vegetation. Directly adjacent was the folklore section, "Belgium 1900", which included a replica of a small Belgian town at the turn of the century made of plaster and papier mâché, populated by groups of actors celebrating festivals on a daily basis between buildings housing craftsmen, landlords and entertainers. To set signposts for the aspiration of global co-operation international organisations such as the UN, the Council of Europe, Benelux, OEEC, the European Coal and Steel Union, the Council for Customs Co-operation and the International Red Cross all had their own presentations. |
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EXPOSEEUM - The Museum of World Exhibitions, Hanover, Expo Plaza 11 Open every Sunday from 11 to 16 |
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