We could say that it started with King Leopold II back in 1889, who, while ruling in Belgium, wished to improve the view from his window at the royal palace in Brussels. By the time he died in 1909 and left his estate to the Belgian state, he had purchased 200 hectares of land, which included the Heysel plateau. Years passed, industrialisation and modernisation continued, and, by the time Belgium was set to host the World Fair of 1958, the globe was caught up in a mindset of space exploration, atomic splicing and scientific discovery, and the Heysel plateau offered a nice site for something remarkable.

Welcome the Atomium. Designed by engineer Andre Waterkeyn for the International Exhibition of Brussels, the Atomium represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. It is made of steel clad with aluminium. At 102m high, it houses the fastest lift in Europe – travelling at five m a second – thus bringing visitors to the top in 23 seconds. The nine spheres that comprise the atom model are 18m in diameter. The structure’s total weight is 2.4 metric tons.

Though it was not intended to survive Expo ‘58, the Atomium has become a symbol of Belgium and of Brussels, and popular demand has ensured its continued existence. From 2004 to 2006, it underwent renovation, and continues to live on in the spirit of Belgium’s people, seen even in that other art for which the country is so well loved – brewing, in the form of Premier Grand Cru Atomium.