Beauty around us / Brussels
THE HEART OF EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels is firmly entwined with the main centre of international political developments. For many, it is simply where the heart of European politics beats and where decisions about the future of the European Union are taken.
At the same time, however, it is also much more than that.
THE MAGINFICENT ATOMIUM
To begin with, Brussels is home to the Atomium, that fabulous example of architecture that seems to defy the laws of gravity and normality. I have wanted to be inside it for many years.
Built in 1958, the Atomium is 102 meters high and consists of 9 spheres connected together, representing a body-centered cubic unit cell of an iron crystal - magnified 165 billion times. On the highest sphere of the Atomium is a restaurant with a panoramic view of the city skyline.
I was doubly lucky when I visited it, as there was an exhibition of the magician Magritte running!
“Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.”
Nearby stands the Hazel Stadium, where a tragedy with 39 victims took place 40 years ago.
Very close to Atomium can also see the -rather kitschy- small theme park called Mini Europe.
THE PEEING STATUES
The other attractions in the city are not many, but they are special. Two of them are the Manneken Pis and the lesser known Jeanneke Pis.
Somewhere you'll find a mural of the famous Ten Ten and you can't miss a stroll through the famous Grand-Place of Brussels (or Grote Mark), with its imposing buildings all around and countless crowds. The Palace of Justice of Brussels is another remarkable building in the city, built between 1818-1823.
Brussels is not the first city I would recommend someone to visit in Belgium (nor even the second), but if you find yourself sometime there, it is worth wandering among its buildings, which reveal its two faces: That of the old glamour and the current bureaucracy of the European Union.
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