Monument · Brussels, Belgium
Atomium
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World. Built 1955–1958.
Photo: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Brussels, Belgium |
|---|---|
| Type | Monument |
| Built | 1955–1958 |
| Architect | André and Jean Polak |
| Height | Height: 102 m |
| Coordinates | 50.8947° N, 4.3411° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Atomium is known for
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World.
About Atomium
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Polak as a tribute to scientific progress, as well as to symbolise Belgian engineering skills at the time, it is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the exhibition took place. It is the city's most popular tourist attraction, and serves as a museum, an art centre and a cultural destination.
History
The Atomium was built as the main pavilion and symbol of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Its nine 18-metre (59 ft) spheres depict nine iron atoms in a body-centred cubic (BCC) unit cell, which could, for example, represent an α-iron (ferrite) crystal, magnified 165 billion times. In the 1950s, faith in scientific progress was strong, and the subject was chosen to embody the enthusiasm of the Atomic Age.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Brussels |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Brussels Airport (BRU) |
| Distance from the airport | 6.2 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Brussels Airport (BRU) · Zaventem, Belgium · 6.3 miles away
- Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL) · Charleroi, Belgium · 30.3 miles away
- Lille Airport (LIL) · Lesquin, France · 58.7 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Belgium
More monuments
Frequently asked questions
What is Atomium?
The Atomium is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World.
Where is Atomium located?
Atomium is in Brussels, Belgium. Its coordinates are 50.8947° N, 4.3411° E.
How do I get to Atomium?
The nearest town is Brussels, and the nearest airport is Brussels Airport (BRU), about 6.2 miles away (straight line).
When was Atomium built?
Atomium was built 1955–1958.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q180901 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.