Top 2012 destinations: Belfast is preparing to launch its Titanic Belfast Building
This is our 3rd installment on the top European destinations for 2012, and we are about to guide you through your next adventure holiday, Belfast, Northen Ireland, to be precise. We, at Traveleurope, are not the only ones who believe that this city is worth a visit this year.
Last November, for example, National Geographic Traveler magazine named Belfast among the world’s top 20 travel destinations for 2012, describing it as ‘a capital city of Titanic ambition that is redefining itself in the eyes of the world.’The magic word: Titanic. Because the Titanic was built in Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff, and now, 100 years after sinking (14 April 1912,) it is still a major point of interest for this city.
So it was quite expectable and almost legitimate to identify Belfast as a “must see” this year, especially since a brand new attraction is on the way to be launched next March, right in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter: Titanic Belfast®, the world’s largest Titanic visitor attraction.
Architect Eric Kuhne’s ultra-modern, 6-floor building, is strongly symbolic in its shape. First of all, it resembles the hulls of four ships, while from above it reminds you of a white star, the emblem of Titanic’s operators. The building is covered with metal flakes and when the light plays on them it looks like the movement of water.
Titanic Belfast® is meant to take the visitor on a journey through Belfast’s industrial past. Across ten galleries of interactive exhibits, the attraction will convey the sights, sounds, smells and stories of the Harland & Wolff shipyard and its most famous creation: the “practically unsinkable”. In point of fact, Belfast has been slow to tell Titanic’s story from its point of view, and while the world has been celebrating the ill-fated ship with attractions and memorials, Belfast has stayed in the shadows, almost uncertain of what to do with the story. But now the city is ready to come with its own version, celebrating the achievement of engineering which Titanic represents, and telling some of the unknown stories of the men who built the ship and sailed on her.
Visitors will now learn firsthand about the story of Titanic’s conception, construction, launch, fit out and tragic voyage. The journey goes beyond the consequences of the sinking, to the discovery of the wreck and continues into the present day with a live undersea exploration centre, a virtual reconstruction of the floor of the North Atlantic, where the wreck lies in her silent majesty.
The Titanic Belfast® also features catering outlets and banqueting rooms and a Titanic Store where you can buy your souvenirs. Moreover, corporate visitors will enjoy a spectacular banqueting suite on the fifth and sixth floors, in a spectacular design based on the Titanic’s interiors.
The official opening of Titanic Belfast® will take place on March 31st, 2012. The event will provide a sneak preview and the chance to buy advance tickets for some of the key highlight events, including, among others, The Boat Factory, a play by Dan Gordon, on April 5, and Theater Titanick, on April 15. It is already creating excitement amongst the tourist trade and the public alike. It is something which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
About the Author
Elena Hey there! My name is Elena and I live in Pavia, where I work as a freelance journalist and Events Coordinator. My personal interests are culture, languages and art. I love travelling and learning about foreign cultures and different lifestyles, and then I like to share my experiences with others writing articles for this blog. My passions drive me forward to live the life of my dreams, and well that’s what I am really good at!
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