Starting on 12 June 2025, the ‘Jules Verne 200’ experience will set up shop in the Horta Gallery in the Belgian capital. During the exhibition, visitors will get acquainted with some of the writer’s work while being immersed in five of his stories.
French author Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes in 1828 and died in 1905, is largely considered to be the founder of modern science fiction. His works talked about space, air, and underwater travel before those became a reality.
Interestingly enough, many of the stories he wrote may have been impossible at the time but became a reality later on in history. For example, his novel ‘From the Earth to the Moon’ from 1865 talked about orbiting the moon in a spaceship, which NASA managed to do about a century later. Verne’s capacity to imagine how existing technologies might be developed in the future was impressive and might to some extent explain the popularity of his stories.
From 12 June 2025 until this Autumn, the works of Jules Verne and his legacy will be at the centre of the new ‘Jules Verne 200’ immersive exhibition in the Horta Gallery in Brussels. The experience was previously shown in Barcelona and is a collaboration between Belgian company Exhibition Hub and Layers of Reality, a Spanish augmented-reality content-creation studio. Previously, they also produced similar events, including ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’.
“Jules Verne is regarded as one of the most influential authors of all time, combining science, technology, imagination, and a spirit of adventure in his works. His contributions have had a profound impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, and they continue to inspire today,” the organisers explain the Jules Verne-themed exhibition.
The experience, which spreads over 1,500 square meters, offers a variety of immersive and interactive spaces. The metaverse, virtual reality, and 360-degree projections come together to create a world in which visitors are immersed in some of Verne’s most famous works. Five of his novels are highlighted during the ‘Jules Verne 200’ experience: ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’, ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’, ‘Robur the Conqueror’, and ‘From the Earth to the Moon’.
Ticket prices start at €13.90 per person. The Jules Verne 200 exhibition is open every day except Tuesdays.
