"Atomium, The View" Atomium & Heyzel area Tip by von.otter

“One atom of the plane where He functions would shatter the world.”
— Confucius (551-479 BC)

The Atomium is a modern monument in the Heysel section of Brussels. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Polak for the 1958 International Exhibition of Brussels, the Atomium is a steel structure that is part sculpture and part architecture. It consists of nine large spheres, each with a diameter of 59 feet. They are arranged in the form of an iron atom, magnified 165 billion times. Made entirely of steel clad in aluminum, the structure, at a height of 335 feet and standing on three enormous bipods, dominates the Heysel plateau. The Atomium was not intended to remain after the end Expo ’58. Its popularity and success ensured its place as a major landmark on the skyline of Brussels.

André Waterkeyn (1917-2005) was a Belgian engineer, born in Wimbledon, England; he is best known for creating the Atomium. Waterkeyn was the economic director of Fabrimetal, a federation of metallurgical companies; in 1954 he was asked to design a building for the 1958 World Expo that would showcase Belgian engineering skills.

Waterkeyn owned the copyrights of all reproductions of the Atomium until he passed it over to the organization owning the building in 2000. He was chairman of the board of the Atomium until 2002, when his son assumed the role. He died in Brussels in 2005. After his death, the top sphere and the plaza where the Atomium stands were named in his honor.

othercontact: Metro stop: Heysel
Phone: Atomium Square
Website: http://www.atomium.be