The Atomium (before renovation)

Built for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo '58), the 103-metre (335-foot) tall Atomium monument represents a unit cell of an iron crystal (body-centred cubic), magnified 165 billion times, with vertical body diagonal, with tubes along the 12 edges of the cube and from all 8 vertices to the centre. The Atomium in Heysel Park, Brussels, Belgium. ... The Atomium in Heysel Park, Brussels, Belgium. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Brussels City Hall Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, pronounced ; French: Bruxelles, pronounced in Belgian French and often by non-Belgian speakers of French; German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the... A Worlds Fair is any of various large expositions held since the mid-19th century. ... The Atomium. ... metre or meter, see meter (disambiguation) A metre or meter[1] (symbol: m) is a unit of length and the current base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). ... The Taj Mahal, commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. ... In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ... Quartz crystal In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... In crystallography, the cubic crystal system (or isometric crystal system) is the most symmetric of the 7 crystal systems. ...

Nine steel spheres 18 metres in diameter connect via tubes with escalators as long as 35 m, among the longest in Europe. Windows in the top sphere provide a panoramic view of Brussels. Other spheres have 1950s exhibitions. Three upper spheres lacking vertical support are not open to the public for safety reasons. The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A sphere (< Greek σφαίρα) is a perfectly symmetrical geometrical object. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Brussels City Hall Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, pronounced ; French: Bruxelles, pronounced in Belgian French and often by non-Belgian speakers of French; German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the... The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ...

The Eiffel Tower of Brussels

Planned originally to last only six months, architect André Waterkeyn's design has survived to become a popular tourist attraction that some feel is a Belgian national icon rivalling Manneken Pis. It sits beside to the King Baudouin Stadium in Heysel Park (50.8948° N 4.3415° E). Just next to it also lies the congress centre, and the Mini-Europe park. André Waterkeyn (August 23, 1917, - October 4, 2005) was a Belgian engineer, born in Wimbledon, best known for creating the Atomium. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Manneken Pis of Brussels in the nude Manneken Pis (little man piss in English), is a Brussels landmark. ... The Heysel Stadium was a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. ... The Heysel Exhibition Park is the place in the north of the centre of Brussels, Belgium, where the Worlds Fair of 1935 and 1958 (the Expo 58) took place. ... Mini-Europe is a part of Heysel in Brussels, Belgium that contains replicas of famous buildings from countries in the European Union, presented at a scale of 1 to 25. ...

Renovation

2€ commemorative coin, for the renovation, pressed in March 2006

Beginning in March 2004, much-needed renovation work has included replacing faded aluminium sheets on the balls 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 Atomium, which had been closed to the public since October 2004, re-opened on 18th February 2006. The renovation includes revamped exhibition spaces, a restaurant, and an overnight dormitory (with suspended plastic sphere beds) for visiting schoolchildren. Image File history File links €2_commemorative_coin_Belgium_2006. ... Image File history File links €2_commemorative_coin_Belgium_2006. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Deaths • 08 Abu Abbas • 20 Queen Juliana • 28 Peter Ustinov • 30 Alistair Cooke More March 2004 deaths Ongoing events EU Enlargement Exploration of Mars: Rovers Haiti Rebellion Israeli-Palestinian conflict Occupation of Iraq Same-sex marriage in... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The newly renovated spheres are covered in stainless steel instead of aluminium

Image File history File links Atomiumrenovation. ... Image File history File links Atomiumrenovation. ...

Trivia

The ambient music duo Stars of the Lid titled the first three tracks of their 1999 release Avec Laudenum "The Atomium (parts I through III)". Stars of the Lid is a band specializing in drone-based ambient music. ...

One of the original ideas for Expo '58 was to build an upside-down Eiffel tower. The architect Waterkeyn didn't like that idea and decided to create something more symbolic of the era.

According to some sources, it is illegal to publish (even self made) pictures of the Atomium, as the copyright is actively enforced by SABAM. [1][2][3]

The Atomium features in the music video for "Headhunter" by Belgian EBM group Front 242. Headhunter is a song by the Belgian EBM band Front 242. ... EBM can be an acronym for: electronic body music evidence-based medicine Everybody But Microsoft - A virtual group that acts as a competitor to Microsoft and its partners. ... Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. ...

Location

Eeuwfeestlaan/ Boulevard du Centenaire 1020 Brussels (Laken), next to Heysel metro station.

See also

• List of museums
• List of buildings
• Brussels
• Belgium
• Europe

The list of museums is a link page for any museum anywhere. ... Famous or notable buildings with articles about them include: Index: A-B - C - D-G - H-L - M-O - P-R - S - T-V - W 1 Canada Square, London, United Kingdom 2 Fevrier Sofitel Hotel, Lomé, Togo 8 Canada Square, London, United Kingdom 30 St Mary Axe, London, United Kingdom... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Brussels City Hall Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, pronounced ; French: Bruxelles, pronounced in Belgian French and often by non-Belgian speakers of French; German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

atomium

• Atomium official site
• Structurae
• Brussels Discovery
• Atomium Flickr photo group

Coordinates: 50°53′42″N, 4°20′29″E Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...