Atomium Monday

One of the highlights of our trip to Brussels last week was the Atomium. It was constructed for the 1958 World Trade Fair, a celebration of the Atomic Age and science generally (with a slice of the Cold War and the space race thrown in too). The Atomium is 335 feet tall, nine stainless steel spheres with connecting tubes and designed by Andre Waterkeyn, a modernist tribute to scientific progress and Belgian engineering skills- an atomic unit cell magnified 165 billion times, a feat of the post- war scientific world. 

Now we live in a world where people don't believe in vaccinations any more.

The Atomium is on the outskirts of Brussels, a train/ tram ride to the north of the city (Brussels is very well served for comprehensive, cheap and efficient public transport). It's part of a park which also includes the Heysel stadium which as anyone familiar with football in the 1980s will know has a history and tragedy of its own. 

The grounds from the World Trade Fair are still there and a few of the late 50s buildings and pavilions but the centrepiece is the Atomium, a mere 16 euros to enter. The view from the sphere at the top is impressive too. Above this there is a restaurant with space age tables and chairs. 

Inside the Atomium is just as exciting as outside- the spheres house an exhibition filled with promo material, posters, leaflets, accounts and photos from the fair and the construction of the Atomium. Over 41 million people visited Expo 58. At this time the Second World War was only thirteen years in the past, rationing had only just ended in the UK, the world was still recovering from a collective trauma, Europe as much as anywhere- the Atomium must have seemed like the future had landed right in front of them, in Belgium. 

As well as the museum some of the spheres are home to an installation of sound and light which were right up my straat. 

Yes, it would be a great place to hold a party. 

It's also ridiculously photogenic and viewed in 2026 beautifully retro- futuristic. I could have moved in and stayed for the rest of the week. 

Mondays at this blog are usually designated as Monday's Long Song. This is eight minutes of Natural Transition by Atomic Moog, a French electronic duo, from an EP released in 2022 that works as an Atomium soundtrack in both band name and sound. 

Natural Transition