The revised plan consisted of a new park section at Walibi Belgium in Wavre, but that idea proved too large for the amusement park, so a search was made for a location where it could open as a separate park. Mini-Europe was eventually built on the old site of the Meli Heysel/Heizel amusement park, a branch of the West Flanders -based Meli Park, which had closed in 1986. The initial investment was of 50 million Belgian francs. Mini-Europe opened in 1989 as part of Brussels' Bruparck entertainment park, which also housed a branch of the Kinepolis cinema chain and the Océade tropical water park, which closed in 2018. Then-Prince Philippe of Belgium inaugurated the site on 1 June 1989 with Thierry Meeùs at the helm.