DW Travel (April 8, 2023) – Have you already heard about this bizarre building? The Atomium is one of most iconic landmarks in the Belgian capital Brussels. But what IS the Atomium? And what enigmas are associated with the structure?

Halfway between sculpture and architecture, the Atomium was designed and built for the Brussels World’s Fair (1958), for which it was the flagship building and emblem. Representing an iron unit cell (9 iron atoms) magnified 165 billion times, the monument with its unique silhouette has, over time, grown to become the symbol of Brussels and Belgium.