Atomium

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Atomium as a cubic crystal structure standing on a corner : three spheres of a cube diagonal form an observation tower ( Belgian flag on the top sphere); six cube corner spheres around the tower (three lower spheres each on an additional support)

The Atomium is a 102 m high structure erected in Brussels for the Expo 58 . It is a corner model of the body-centered (body-centered) cubic unit cell of the crystals, which consists of nine atoms . In this regular cube shape u. a. the iron . The atoms are designed as hollow spheres, and the lattice that unites them to form an imaginary unit cell consists of tubes.

Two atoms opposite in the space diagonal and the central atom, together with two bars, form an observation tower , around which the other six atoms and the remaining bars are arranged. The three outer lower atoms (corner spheres) are additionally supported from the ground.

The Atomium was designed as a symbol for the atomic age and the peaceful use of nuclear energy by engineer André Waterkeyn and designed and built by architects André and Jean Polak .

description

Top sphere with restaurant and viewing floors (four connecting pipes)

The atomium, for example, is a 165 billion times enlargement of the crystalline unit cell of iron. It was originally supposed to be 134 meters high. For reasons of flight safety, however, it was only built with a height of 102 meters. The construction weighs around 2,400 tons.

The diameter of the spheres is 18 meters, that of the pipes connecting them 3.3 meters. In addition to the three tower balls, the three lower corner balls are open to the public and are also used on several floors for exhibitions and the like. a. utilized. There is an elevator in the tower that takes visitors to the restaurant in the uppermost sphere in 23 seconds. Stairs (sometimes escalators) lead through the inclined connecting pipes to the other spheres.

The Atomium was renovated between 2004 and 2006, including replacing the original aluminum cladding with stainless steel sheets. The 180 windows, originally made of the plastic polymethyl methacrylate , have been made of polycarbonate ever since . This inherently soft and UV- sensitive plastic was protected with a polysiloxane-based varnish against abrasion and deterioration in properties caused by the weather. On the occasion of the reopening on April 10, 2006, Belgium issued a 2 euro commemorative coin .

Replicas of the Atomium on a scale of 1:25 can be found in the Minimundus in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee and in the Miniwelt in Lichtenstein / Saxony .

A nuclear reactor with the designation AGN-211-P was located under the Atomium . After the Expo, the University of Basel bought the reactor, where it was used in the Physics Institute for research and training. In 2015 the reactor was decommissioned and the fuel assemblies were returned to the USA.

gallery

  • General view from the north of the exhibition building

  • Crystal model of iron as a model for the Atomium on a Belgian bank note (20 francs)

  • A corner ball (with four connecting tubes)

  • Atomium model, one support each under the three lower outer spheres

  • Escalator in an inclined connecting pipe

  • Staircase in a connecting pipe

literature

  • Winfried Kretschmer: History of the world exhibitions. Campus-Verlag, 1999, ISBN 978-3-593-36273-1 , pp. 221-224.
  • Jochen Hennig: The Atomium. The symbol of the atomic age . In: Gerhard Paul (Hrsg.): The century of pictures 1949 until today . Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008, ISBN 978-3-525-30012-1 , pp. 210-217

Web links

Commons : Atomium  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Matthias Krupa: Atomium: Brussels Coliseum . In: The time . December 22, 2014, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed October 26, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Detlef Drewes: Brussels: Atomium in Brussels is 60 years old: a long-outdated landmark. April 17, 2018, accessed October 26, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Popular Mechanics . tape 109 , no. 1 . Hearst Magazines, 1958, ISSN  0032-4558 , p. 99 .
  4. ↑ Wulf Rüskamp: The nuclear power dwarfs . In: Badische Zeitung of June 22, 2011 (accessed on September 11, 2014)
  5. ↑ Susanna Petrin: The miniature nuclear power plant in the middle of Basel . In: Basler Zeitung of April 13, 2011 (accessed on September 11, 2014)
  6. ↑ Basel research reactor before decommissioning , February 20, 2017 at www.unibas.ch.

Coordinates: 50 ° 53 ′ 41.7 "  N , 4 ° 20 ′ 28.5"  E