At the opening of the Expo on 17 April 1958 the young King Baudouin made a speech callng for world peace and social and scientific progress. Atom=Hope, which was intended to popularize atomic energy. The building was seen first and foremost as an icon of faith in prosperity and progress. But the Atomium quickly became a national symbol, Belgium’s own Eiffel Tower. Today it is still one of the most unexpected, creative and astonishing buildings in the world, attracting over 600,000 visitors every year.

In 1954 civil engineer Andre Waterkeyn was director of the economic section at Fabrimetal, the federation of the Belgian metalworking industry. The commissioner of the World Fair, Baron Moens de Fernig, asked Fabrimetal to create a central monument for the Heysel exhibition grounds.

Waterkeyn drew his inspiration for the Atomium plans from the ‘Atoms for Peace’ programme launched by the President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Atomic power was no longer to be seen as a potential weapon of war but as a new source of peaceful engergy.

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View to Place de Belgique (upper right), administrative centre of the European Union, and King Baudouin Stadium (upper left)

The Atomium was originally intended to last for six months only. So popular and famous had it become, however, that when the World’s Fair came to an end it was decided to leave it standing. But it became increasingly dilapidated as time went by and finally it was closed to the public. Realizing the Atomium’s smbolic and heritage value the Federal State and the City of Brussels agreed to provide the funds for its renovation. Restoration began in the Spring of 2004.

From 2004-2006 over 250 craftspeople worked on the Atomium and the public space around it. Over 6000 aluminium sheets were replaced by stainless steel which never loses its shine; the original building plan remained unchanged. The Atomium was reopened 18 February 2006. The Atomium is the symbol of Brussels and appeals to the imagination just as it did over five decades ago.