Reopening of the Atomium

The Atomium. The engraver's initials 'LL' appear in the lower right section. Two mint marks can be seen along the lower inner edge, one to each side of the bottom sphere of the Atomium. The outer ring bears twelve stars. Also on the outer ring, between pairs of stars: the monogram 'B' at the top and the year '2006' at the bottom.

The Atomium is one of Belgium's best-known landmarks and stands as the architectural symbol of the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. Engineer André Waterkeyn designed the structure as an enlarged model of an iron crystal lattice - nine spheres joined into a geometric form that, at the time of its creation, represented scientific progress and the dawn of a modern Europe. After the expo, the Atomium was not dismantled but remained permanently part of the city of Brussels, growing over the decades into a fixture of Belgian identity. For Belgium, the structure thus stands not only for a historical event, but for an attitude: openness towards technology, science and European cooperation.

Between 2004 and 2006, the Atomium underwent a comprehensive restoration. The steel spheres and connecting tubes were completely renewed, the exhibition spaces modernised, and the facility upgraded for contemporary use. On 18 February 2006, the Atomium reopened to visitors after a two-year closure - since then it has welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests from around the world every year. Belgium marked the Atomium's reopening in 2006 with a 2-euro commemorative coin, placing at its centre a structure that means far more to the country than mere architectural history.