Atomium

THE SYMBOL OF BELGIUM AND BRUSSELS.

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.

On the inside the Atomium offers, not just the most beautiful view of Brussels, but also an entirely astounding and surreal ride through its interior spaces and volumes which alone makes a visit worth it.

In addition to its impressive architecture and heritage value, the Atomium is also a cultural place with the permanent exhibition Expo 58 and two temporary exhibitions ID – Symbol and View from my window.

> The Atomium ticket automatically includes the entrance to the Design Museum Brussels (150m away).
  • • Ring exit 8 
    • Underground Heysel line 6 (in front of Mini Europe)
    • Tram : Heysel line 7 (in front of Mini Europe)
  • 6 Heysel / Heizel
  • 7 Heysel / Heizel
  • Opening times

    24/03/2022 - 29/05/2023: * monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and sunday: from 10:00 to 18:00

Initiated in March 2020 by Barbara Duriau, the 3 million member Facebook group View from my window collects intimate and collective testimonies from millions of confined people around the world. At the Atomium, from March 24th, the temporary exhibition "View from my window" gathers a selection of more than 400 photographs among the 200,000 images from this Belgian success story with a worldwide echo. From New York to Moscow, Brussels, Sao Paulo or Darjeeling... Every day, from their window, the members of this 2.0 community capture and share their view. The exhibition "View from my window" translates a human experience and offers a sensitive and poetic dive into the intimacy of all those who have gone through this very special event. The exhibition, which is based on audio-visual installations, prints, webcams and time-lapses, gives a playful attention to the visit. Ordinary or breathtaking, each photo is accompanied by a simple caption or a powerful life story. Through this exhibition, the Atomium is delighted to dedicate its spaces and its exceptional panorama of the Belgian capital, the cradle of Europe, to a humanist project conceived as a powerful invitation to share and travel. When one door closes, many windows open!

  • Price

    Normal: 29,40 € - Enfants: 18,70 € - Jeunes: 22,80 € - Etudiants: 22,80 €

Renovated as a major national event between 2004 and 2006, the Atomium - which was not intended to survive Expo 58 for which it was the flagship construction - is today, with over 600,000 visitors per year, the most popular tourist attraction in the capital of Europe, an art center and an international symbol of Brussels and Belgium. - The combined Atomium ticket includes entrance to Mini-Europe and Design Museum Brussels (150m away) - The purchased ticket remains valid between 10am and 5.30pm of the chosen date, regardless of the time of booking. - The time of reservation on the ticket does not allow priority in the queue. - During holiday periods, waiting time in the queues might be longer due to higher visitor numbers. Wearing a mask is not compulsory, but is strongly recommended inside the monument.

  • Opening times

    03/02/2023 - 24/09/2023: * monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and sunday: from 10:00 to 18:00

  • Price

    Normal: 16,00 € - Etudiants: 8,50 € - Seniors: 14,00 €

From February 2023, the Atomium will invite the artist collective Visual System to occupy its exhibition spaces and dedicates its program to digital art. RESTART, a temporary exhibition, and CENTRALE, a permanent installation, will depict the Atomium in light and sound. Since 2013, the Atomium, which is also a cultural venue, has been offering a look at digital creation. It regularly gives carte blanche to artists who create immersive and original universes in the exhibition sphere. These projects, exploit the magic of the space and accentuate the building's heritage richness. In 2023, the Atomium will be fully committed to the digital dimension, dedicating its programming of exhibitions, installations and performances to this domain of artistic creation. Visual System is part of this innovative and bold proposal by the Atomium. "We welcome this collaboration with Visual System," explains the Atomium's management. And further: "Through their technical craftsmanship and the poetry of their artistic designs, their creations fulfil our ambitions and the expectations of our various audiences. Their passion and enthusiasm for the building make it a creative breeding ground, where lustful experimentation can take place and where strong and unique projects are developed that mark our programming." For this new edition, Visual System is designing RESTART, a temporary exhibition, and CENTRALE, a permanent installation. Sculpture benches complement these creations by offering visitors a seat, adding to the contemplative experience. Visual System thus gives life to an overall work that immerses the visitor in the heart of a synesthetic journey, as spectacular as it is hypnotic. An invitation to explore, surrender and experience intense interaction. By creating this intimate moment, Visual System poetises light, sound and architecture through abstract narrative and pure emotion.

  • Price

    Normal: 40,00 €

The Atomium invites you to discover its "Atomium Jazz" concerts in the magnificent Ilya Prigogine sphere, a lateral sphere with a breathtaking view of Brussels! In April, the Atomium has the honor of offering a concert by the legendary guitarist Philip Catherine, who just turned 80 at the end of October 2022. Since the 1960s, Philip Catherine has been an important figure on the European jazz scene. His collaborations with such great artists as Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Stéphane Grappelli, Dexter Gordon, Larry Coryell, Tom Harrell, NHOP, to name a few, his unique style and sound, his musical commitment, have been important and of undeniable influence on contemporary European jazz. Philip Catherine presents his repertoire from his album "Pourquoi" (translation: Why), a composition that gives the title to this second meeting of the trio with guitarist Paul Morello and bassist Sven Faller. Without any question mark or doubt, that defines the music of these three high-flying musicians. With a natural flow, stylistically assured in all genres, sometimes exuberantly lively and then contemplative and condensed like a good film score. Since their first album "Manoir de mes rêves" (Enja, 2019) and about fifty concerts, Catherine, Morello and Faller have matured their art of the trio and their repertoire, just like a good wine. What started in 2010 with a jam between the two guitarists backstage at the "International Jazz Week Burghausen" counts, thirteen years later and without any question marks, as one of the best trios that European jazz has to offer. End the concert on a high note with a drink or dinner in the panoramic sphere.