Expo '58

The Atomium

Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World’s Fair, was held from April 17 to October 19, 1958. It was the first major world expo after the World War II, the previous world's fair having been the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Nearly 15,000 workers spent three years building the 2 km² site, found on the Heysel plateau, seven kilometres northwest of Brussels. The site is best known for a giant scultpture of an atom, called the Atomium, which remains one of Brussel's best known landmarks.

More than 42 million visitors visited the site, which was opened with a call for world peace and social and economic progress, issued by King Baudouin I.

The fair is also known for a musical milestone, a melding of musical composition and architecture. Edgard Varese composed "Poème électronique," which was recorded from 425 loudspeakers placed at specific points in Le Corbusier's Philips Pavilion.