Atomium

Address:

Atomiumsquare 1 1020 Brussels

Coordinates:

50.894977 4.341594

(Latitude/North)    (Longitude/East)

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Description:

The Atomium is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 103-metre (335-feet) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Tubes which connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and from all eight vertices to the centre; these tubes enclose escalators containing exhibit halls and other public spaces; the top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels.

The spheres are 18 metres in diameter; three upper spheres lacking vertical support are not open to the public for safety reasons.

The Atomium is located beside the King Baudouin Stadium in Heysel Park. Just next to it lies the Mini-Europe park and the Heysel/Heizel metro station.

One of the original ideas for Expo '58 was to build an upside-down version of the Eiffel tower; however, Waterkeyn felt that an atomic structure would be more symbolic of the era.

The monument was originally planned to remain standing only six months.

Renovation on the Atomium began in March 2004; it was closed to the public in October, and remained closed until 18 February 2006. The renovations included replacing the faded aluminium sheets on the spheres with stainless steel. To help pay for renovations, the old aluminium has been sold to the public as souvenirs. A triangular piece about 2 m long sold for €1,000.

The renovation includes revamped exhibition spaces, a restaurant, and a dormitory for visiting schoolchildren called "Kids Sphere Hotel" which features suspended plastic sphere towers. (Source: Wikipedia)

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