Visit to Atomium Brussels Belgium with Family

Looking for places to visit in Brussels with your family? Go add the Atomium in your list of things to do in Brussels Belgium. This is the next best thing your kids will enjoy after seeing the comic strips in walls of Brussels. If time permits add Mini Europe too which is located just beside this.

Atomium was at a distance of 8 km in Brussels where we stayed yet we left early to beat the queues. Time your visit to Atomium and Mini Europe well as it can get quite crowded and queues for tickets tend to get longer.

Visit to Atomium Brussels Belgium

For residents of Brussels it is like what Eiffel Tower is for Parisians. 

Crystal of Iron - Atomium, the Iconic Structure of Brussels

What does Atomium represent?

Atomium is giant iron crystal! It represents the atomic structure of iron crystal magnified 165 billion times! It is one unit cell of pure iron, as kept under room temperature and under atmospheric pressure. The 102m tall structure has nine spheres, each 18m in diameter and connected to each other through tubes.

I read somewhere that from a particular angle it resembles a cube with a sphere in the center. There are 12 edges of the cube. All 8 spheres in the vertices of the cube are connected to 3 other spheres with tubes 3m in diameter. All 8 spheres are connected to central sphere.

The tubes have escalators and/or ladders. An elevator takes you to the topmost sphere. Another access is through a staircase to one of the lower spheres.

Staircase leading to first sphere of crystal of iron brussels

And when viewed from another specific angle it seems like a hexagon with spheres in 6 corners and one in center.

I tried viewing it tilting my head this way, that way but couldn’t get that figure. May be you can try when you are there. If you are more creative and enthusiastic of clicking Atomium visit during twilight hours. With rising sun or setting sun as backdrop you will get mind blowing pictures.

Atomium shape like a cube

Crystal of Iron Atomium Brussels

Who made Crystal of Iron Atomium in Brussels?

This was one question my kids wanted to know first. Just in to their basic levels of science, it was beyond their imagination that an atom when magnified looks like this.

The Atomium was built in 1958 for the Brussels World’s Fair. It was designed by André Waterkeyn. Wonder what inspired him! Was Chemistry his favorite subject? May be or may not be, but he surely has got many kids interested in the subject with such a stunning creation.

If every country were to make such structures of all elements in periodic table this world will surely get more students interested in Chemistry.

In 1950s the faith and progress in scientific processes was at its peak. The intention was to honor the metals industry and celebrate the atomic age. Keeping up with the trend, a structure depicting atom, the fundamental unit of an element was chosen.

Crystal of iron Belgium

The ticket counter at Atomium Brussels was just beginning to get crowded, lucky for us we didn’t have to wait for long. Those few minutes we would have looked up several times thinking “we had to get to the top of this revolutionary structure.”

Seeing Atomium in pictures and seeing in real is such a contrast!

Mini Europe Brussels

The lift took us straight to topmost sphere. Great views all around from there.

The Mini Europe theme park (pic above) was clearly visible. The park has miniature versions of more than 300 famous buildings of European Union including Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower and more.

Mini Europe theme park brussels

Mini Europe theme park as seen from atomium

Since we had already seen them in real the Mini Europe theme park didn’t hold  any attraction for my kids. They are built in a scale of 1: 25. It might give you the feel of Gulliver among Lilliputian buildings! We skipped this and preferred to spend more time inside Atomium.

What to see inside Atomium?

From the top most sphere we could visit other spheres using steep escalators. One of the spheres has permanent exhibition about the world’s fair 1958 and the Atomium building. Of the 9 spheres 3 spheres cannot be visited, rest are all inter connected and you can move between them using escalators.

The huge tubes have escalators inside them. There are levels within the spheres where we used staircases. Such an unique idea and so exciting for the kids! So unimaginable from its exteriors!

Museum inside atomium brussels

windows of atomium belgium

Lots of photo opportunities inside Atomium. They have designed the Atomium interiors so creatively. Each museum inside Atomium is filled with lot of exhibits. If one were to go through all of them even 2 hours wouldn’t suffice to tour the Atomium interiors.

A glance outside gives the feel how high above we were. Here is the view of the road leading to Atomium, our car parked somewhere in that row of parked cars and that is my reflection.Parking area of Atomium brussels and my reflection

Atomium Restaurant

Restaurant and Museums of Atomium Brussels

Restaurant and Museums of Atomium Brussels

Yes, finally we were inside one of the mystic spheres! We got to see upturned hemispheres as roof inside like the ones you see under church domes.

The top most one has a restaurant. One can sit here in Atomium restaurant leisurely having a snack or drink while enjoying the panoramic view around. One can choose just to take pictures too and not get in to the restaurant which I felt is slightly overpriced, justifiably so because of the location.

Washroom facilities are in this uppermost sphere. The 3 spheres connected to this uppermost spheres are unused.

Pictures taken, you can move to the next sphere.

Staircase between the spheres of Atomium brussels

Here is a view of staircase through one of the tubes.

Staircase between the spheres of Atomium brussels belgium

Temporary Exhibits in Atomium

The theme of display in third and central spheres of Atomium keeps changing. Whatever is the trend then, or locally and internationally popular they get exhibited. Eighteen meters in diameter, it is a huge hollow space. They have used the space well to display exhibits.

There are levels within the spheres. One can use steps/escalator to get to the different levels having the exhibits. The staircase is modeled on structure of atoms and bonds. One interesting statistics here is that the escalators installed in oblique tubes of Atomium are among the longest in Europe. The biggest is 35 m long.

Different levels in spheres of Atomim Brussels

Restaurant and Museums of Atomium Brussels

Bottom Sphere for Permanent Exhibition

Very interesting exhibits here, highlighting just a couple of them. One is the “Arrow of Civil Engineering”.

Arrow of Civil Engineering in Atomium

Note on Arrow of Civil Engineering in Atomium

An exhibition themed reinforced concrete creations was on in one of the spheres. These are used by architects for making facade patterns. Similar patterns are used for aircraft windows too.

The exhibits highlighted the economic advantage due to efficient continuous production and prefabrication. This also enhanced the aesthetic design because of creation of patterns. Playing with shapes and patterns is possible in both facade and interior. Tiles, wallpapers… there are numerous possibilities to create decorative and colorful designs, according to latest trends.

Concrete creations for facade patterns

Reinforced concrete is an extremely versatile material except for the structural and technical properties, the material offers architects and designers almost unlimited possibilities in style and shape, from rigid, geometric or radical rectilinear to curved and flexible.

Exhibits in Atomium

Atomium Children’s Ball

There was one sphere full of smaller spheres, thirty of them. A magical space designed by artist Alicia Framis. This was based on European experiment in urban education led since 1997 by various institutions based in Brussels.

“Rain molecules” is how Alicia Framis described the main feature of the installation of Children’s sphere.

Each had a little bed inside; this was the children’s sphere. These were suspended from the upper vault of the sphere; and could be brought up and down giving the effect of falling rain drops. Children can read, write, work, play and wash on the lower floor of the sphere.

“Rain molecules” by Alicia Framis in Atomium

“Rain molecules” by Alicia Framis in Atomium

The last escalator to ground floor was most exciting. It was dark and illuminated with colorful artificial light. It gave the effect of some sci-fi movie. Needless to say the children were most excited with this experience!

Escalator in Atomium

Open Timings of Atomium Brussels

Check this up before you plan visit to Atomium Brussels.

  • Every day (365 / 365): from 10am until 6pm (ticket office closes at 5.30pm).
  • December 24th and 31st: from 10am until 4pm (the ticket office closes at 3.15pm).
  • December 25th and January 1st: from 12pm until 6pm (the ticket office closes at 5.30pm).

Pin this for later…

ATOMIUM BRUSSELS

Doable Things to Do in Brussels Belgium
Tuk Tuk Rides in Thailand: Unique Journeys of World

37 Responses to “Visit to Atomium Brussels Belgium with Family

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.