The Atomium was designed by architect Andre Waterkeyn in 1958 as the symbolic centerpiece for the World Fair in Brussels. It consists of nine spheres, constructed of steel coated with aluminum, which are linked by 22 tubes. Each sphere has a diameter of 59 feet, and the highest point of 335 feet can be reached by elevator in under a half-minute. The viewing gallery will offer you interesting views of Brussels, although keep in mind that you are not that close to the central city. The top pod has a restaurant besides the viewing platform. There are also spaces within the spheres for temporary exhibitions. Note that from the lookout just west of the Palace of Justice in the center of town, keen eyes will spot the Atomium miles away as a shiny little jack in the landscape.

The Atomium is scheduled for a thorough renovation which seems to be gradually taking place but should last until at least 2005. It is easily accessible by Metro as well as bus, tram or car. The nearby Metro stop is Heysel, named after the adjacent soccer stadium where an infamous riot in May 1985 took the lives of 38 spectators in the stands.

The nearby Brupark entertainment complex is geared towards grabbing the tourism euro. Mini-Europe is a collection of miniature recreations of European landmarks, if you are too busy to see the real things (look for the Petit Place, or should I say the miniature Grand Place). At the other extreme, the Kinepolis cinema with about 30 screens and an IMAX auditorium compose the largest movie theater complex in Europe. The Oceade water park falls in line somewhere here. Le Village is a string of touristy restaurants and bars.

You ride to the top of the structure, after the obligatory tourist photo, in Europe's fastest elevator. At the top, you have a 360 degree view of the city. Unfortunately, the windows are so cloudy, you can't get a decent picture of anything with your cameras. After the stop at the top, you take the elevator back down part of the way and get off in one of the balls. You then take either the stairs or escalators into the other balls which have different exhibits about the history of the Atomium or the future developments that are planned. The inside was pretty strange with weird music and drawings that didn't make much sense. Most of the info was in English, but there were a few things that were only in French or Dutch which may have explained some of the oddities a little better.

We weren't particularly impressed by the Atomium, but it's one of those things that you have to do since it's so popular and well-known. To skip it would be like going to Seattle and not going up in the Space Needle. We got a package deal with admission to Mini-Europe for 15.50 euro per person. The price is a little steep, but worth it if you do some of the other activities in the park.

One thing that I will most definitely recommend is that if you are afraid of heights or suffer from vertigo, don’t go because it is high. . .

Although we did not venture inside the Atomium, it does (appropriately) house a science museum. The cost to enter is approximately 200BF per person.