The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Ariberna
N 50° 53.694 E 004° 20.466
31U E 594315 N 5638994
Climb inside an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times its normal size.
Waymark Code: WM14WZW
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date Posted: 09/04/2021
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 10

"IN 1958 THE ATOMIUM WAS built for the Brussels World’s Fair and never intended to be a permanent part of the Brussels landscape, but like the Eiffel tower for the French, once the fair was over the Belgians wanted to keep the giant structure.

Essentially the Atomium is a 335-foot-tall giant iron crystal, replicated in shiny steel. It is formed by nine spheres arranged in the the shape that iron atoms take in their delta and alpha allotropes. (In iron’s gamma allotrope, there are extra atoms at the center of each face of the cube.) The Atomium is magnified 165 billion times the normal size of an iron crystal.

Designed by André Waterkeyn (the director of a federation of metallurgical companies and not a sculptor by trade), one of the original ideas had been to build an upside down version of the Eiffel Tower, but in keeping with a 1950s atomic age theme, they built the Atomium.

The Atomium was recently renovated and all but three of the steel spheres are available to enter and contain everything from an exhibition space, to a restaurant, to a place for Belgian school kids to have sleepovers.

Nearby the Atomium is Mini-Europe, a theme park featuring miniature replicas of European monuments."

(visit link)

Prize:
Senior [=65]: €14
Adult [18-64]: €16
Child [>115cm-17]: €8,50
Child [=115cm]: €0
Student [with card]: €8,50
Person with a disability: €8,50
Price of Admission: 16.00 (listed in local currency)

Weekday Hours: From: 10:00 AM To: 6:00 PM

Weekend Hours: From: 10:00 AM To: 6:00 PM

Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link]

Location Website: [Web Link]

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Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
oiseau_ca visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 05/19/2023 oiseau_ca visited it
dreamhummie visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 04/22/2023 dreamhummie visited it
PaulLassiter visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 04/22/2023 PaulLassiter visited it
BeayPepe visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 03/10/2023 BeayPepe visited it
jezevcik visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 10/15/2021 jezevcik visited it
Axel-F visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 10/06/2021 Axel-F visited it
Ariberna visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 09/05/2021 Ariberna visited it
beny258 visited The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium 07/11/2021 beny258 visited it

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