Parlamentarium, Visitor center at Espace Léopold complex, Brussels, Belgium.
Parlamentarium is a visitor center in the Espace Léopold complex in Brussels that presents the European Parliament's operations through multimedia exhibits, personal guides, and interactive displays across multiple floors in a modern building. The space combines digital technology with hands-on elements to make the work and decision-making processes of the European institution experiential.
The Parlamentarium opened on 14 October 2011, after four years of planning and construction, inaugurated by then European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. Its permanent exhibition covers around 2,900 m² and was the first in Europe designed entirely in the EU's 24 official languages. The overall concept was created by the German studio Atelier Brückner. About 250,000 people visited in its opening year, 2011.
The Personal Multimedia Guide activates each installation in whichever of the 24 official EU languages the visitor selects, with audio through an in-ear speaker and short films. A tunnel of voices addresses multilingualism as a cultural feature of Europe, and the room "United in Diversity" carries the EU motto in its name. Tours are also arranged for children and for visitors who are deaf or blind.
Entry is free and the centre is open daily, so no fixed tour slot is needed. Each visitor activates the installations with a Personal Multimedia Guide, choosing one of the 24 official EU languages for audio and short films. The building is barrier-free, and tours are arranged for children and for visitors with disabilities. The entrance is on the Parliament's esplanade, marked by the blue Parlamentarium flag.
The facility houses a 360-degree cinema where visitors are completely surrounded by immersive projection from all perspectives. An interactive floor map displays over 100 different stories from locations across European member states, allowing visitors to discover personal connections.
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