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Atomium

1958 · 20th century

The Atomium is a monument in Brussels built for the 1958 world's fair, Expo 58. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn with the architects André and Jean Polak, it represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, with nine steel spheres joined by tubes and standing about 102 metres high. Intended as temporary, it became a lasting symbol of Brussels and of post-war faith in science.

Atomium
Image: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Atomium. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/atomium
MLA
“Atomium.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/atomium. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Atomium.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/atomium.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Atomium’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/atomium (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻