Introduction
Immerse yourself in this interactive experience, where we bring the iconic European Coal and Steel Community Pavilion from 1958 Brussels World's 'Expo' Fair to life in stunning 3D.
Expo 58, the international fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels from 17 April to 19 October 1958, welcomed almost 42 million visitors. Six million visited the pavilion of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). Many more people can visit it now, 65 years after Expo 58 closed its doors to the public.
A virtual pavilion can be experienced through virtual reality technology at the Jean Monnet House (JMH) and online through the JMH and House of European History websites. The virtual tour is currently available in English, French and German.
How Expo 58 was made
How Expo 58 was made
The Expo 58 project is a result of a joint initiative between the House of European History, Jean Monnet House and the Historical Archives of the European Union. The extensive content and image research was done by external researcher Anastasia Remes, in the framework of her PhD studies at the European University Institute.
As reference materials, the creators used original black and white photographs, audio recordings, media reports and broadcast footage, as well as historical documents. To make this project a reality, the cross-platform game engine Unity was used, enabling us to create a seamless user experience across different platforms.
The interactive Expo 58 experience gave the team involved the opportunity to experiment with new technologies and immersive virtual reality environments, as well assess visitor behaviour and reactions.