Virtual Expo 58

As well as its socio-economic, cultural, scientific and diplomatic importance, Expo 58 also provided the background for an architectural project which was as ambitious as it was spectacular.

Stretching over more than 200 hectares, the Brussels World Fair hosted dozens of pavilions, palaces, esplanades, footpaths, fountains, ponds, gardens and sculptures of all descriptions. Many of these have disappeared, and so it’s hard to imagine what this breathtaking architectural feat looked like.

That’s precisely why Pascal Laureyn, who, in his blog recommends (re)discovering Belgium through Google Maps and Google Earth, has recreated Expo 58 for us in two dimensions. In just one click, an entire city which no longer exists, reappears.

>>> On the map below, click on the + and the - (on the top-right of the map) to zoom in and out. Then you can click on each of the stars: photos and descriptions of the corresponding building will appear in a new window.??

>>> You can see a second map here which shows the remnants of Expo 58. In fact, some of the buildings were dismantled and then rebuilt elsewhere to be used for something completely different.