Riesige begehbare Metallkugeln verbinden sich zum Atomium. Foto: Unsplash/Klaudio Metolli.

Atomium

Atomium, Brussels

Big, bigger, biggest: Brussels’ landmark – the Atomium – shows an iron molecule magnified 165 billion times. Eight spheres are attached around a sphere representing an iron atom, resulting in a cubic space-centred elementary cell of the iron crystal structure. The nine spheres each have a diameter of 18 metres and are connected by 23-metre-long tubes. Today, visitors can also see six of the nine spheres from the inside. The 102-metre-high structure was designed by the Belgian architect André Waterkeyn for the 1958 World Expo in Brussels. It was intended as a symbol for the atomic age and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Website of the Atomium: https://atomium.be/home/Index?lang=en

Video:Vorschau: Filaufnahmen von der Weltausstellung Expo 1958
Video of the Expo 1958 in Brussels. At the centre: Brussels’ new landmark, the Atomium. Screenshot: YouTube/12345guido. Watch on YouTube

Photo: Gigantic metal spheres form the Atomium. Credits: Unsplash/Klaudio Metolli.

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