Esplanade of the European Parliament

Geschiedenis

The Esplanade of the European Parliament, or simply the mall, with its most representative part Solidarność 1980 Esplanade, (L'esplanade du Parlement européen, or le mail, Esplanade van het Europees Parlement) is a pedestrian mall in Brussels (Belgium), completed in 2002.PositionThe mall runs the central length of the Espace Léopold (the European Parliament buildings in Brussels), with the Alterio Spinelli building to the east and the Willy Brandt and József Antall to the west joined to the former by the circular Konrad Adenauer footbridge running over the mall. The former station building (see below) has been converted into an information centre and fronts onto Luxembourg Square.The mall itself covers a once over-ground railway station, the Brussels-Luxembourg Station (formerly known as the Leopold Quarter station). The paving over the top of the station allowed the construction of Parliament and created a direct link between Luxembourg Square to the west and Leopold 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.CriticismIt has been criticised for "leading nowhere" as, aside from the Parliament and railway station, the mall 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. There are plans to extend it along the railway tracks to the north, meeting up with the Berlaymont on the Rue de la Loi and to the south, so the Commission's extra 'pole' of buildings in Auderghem however residential opposition and delays mean this is not likely and it was not included as an option in recent architectural competitions.