In Brussels' Mini-Europe stands a model of the Old Town Hall

Brussels - Two years after joining the European Union, the Czech Republic and Slovakia today entered its miniature version - the Brussels park of miniatures, MiniEurope. Alongside the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Czech Republic is now represented by a scaled-down version of the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock, while Slovakia showcases a replica of the Art Nouveau Blue Church from Bratislava.
The displayed monuments remind us that Central Europe has significant importance in European history, said Thierry Meeus, director of MiniEurope, to ČTK. "For Czechs, it is obvious, but I think it is necessary to remind especially the Belgians."
Just like the other models that characterize each member country, the Old Town Hall is built at a scale of 1:25, reducing it to a height of two meters and 40 centimeters.
In the end, three options were considered - Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and the Town Hall. The decision fell on the Town Hall due to the fact that the first two landmarks would be too large in miniature form. Additionally, they are static, while the Old Town Clock offers the possibility of movement and sounds. The model is computer-controlled, with apostles parading and bells ringing. Surrounding it are models of cars and figures as passersby, including a wedding couple.
The work of the modeling workshop of Roman Slavíček cost 750,000 crowns, half a million was invested by the Czech metropolis, and the rest was shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CzechTourism agency.
The Slovaks assigned their order to local workshops. The real Blue Church was built in 1913 according to the design of Budapest architect Edmund Lechner. Its blue color is primarily given by mosaics and majolica. It is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, who is believed to have been born in Bratislava Castle.
During today's ceremony, fireworks pierced a wall of red, blue, and white balloons, behind which both models gradually appeared. The joint inauguration concluded with the Czech anthem, followed shortly by the Slovak anthem, so that the old-timers could reminisce about the federal times.
The Brussels park is called MiniEurope, but as visitors from non-member countries will notice, it confuses geographical Europe with the European Union and showcases landmarks symbolizing only EU countries.
However, this does not reduce the attractiveness of the area beneath the iconic Atomium. MiniEurope is visited by around 300,000 people annually, making it the most visited paid attraction in Belgium alongside the Royal Gallery in Brussels.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia hesitated somewhat about joining MiniEurope, so they arrived after Poland, Cyprus, Malta, Estonia, and Latvia. Lithuania will join this year, and next year Hungary and Slovenia will follow.
Slovakia was represented at today's ceremony by the ambassador to Belgium, Peter Sopko, and in a way also by the Slovak commissioner Ján Figeľ. The Czech Republic was represented a few days before the elections by Jan Koukal, the director of the Prague representation in Brussels, and Jan Kohout, the ambassador to the EU. The Polish inauguration two years ago was also attended by former president Lech Walesa.