It may not, like the Eiffel Tower, be perhaps the world’s most recognizable landmark; unlike Seattle’s Space Needle it hasn’t become the city’s symbol, but the Atomium in Brussels, has been getting growing numbers of visitors, with 650,000 last year, a 13% jump over 2018, and the third highest since it reopened in 2006 after renovation.
What all three have in common is that they are World’s Fair leftovers, each intended to have a limited life after, and each now a treasured permanent symbol. And each has undergone significant renovation over time; the Space Needle just had an observation deck renovation; the Atomium’s 2004-6 renovation replaced its aluminum skin with stainless steel.
The Atomium, which represents a crystal of nine iron atoms, was the focus of the Brussels World Expo in 1958. It got considerable publicity recently by appearing in the kickoff of the Tour de France, and by hosting popular art and other exhibitions. It has moved up to #3 attraction in Brussels, topped only by the Grand Place and, inevitably, the Mannekin Pis.
