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Splitting the Atomium

Brussels may be most famous for being home to the beautiful Grand Place and the cute-yet-tiny Manikin Pis, but locals hold a special place in their hearts for the Atomium. A 334-foot structure first built for the 1958 World's Fair and shaped like a crystal molecule at 165 billion times magnification, the Atomium has just undergone a $28.3 million reconstruction.

The elevator--which was the world's fastest when the Atomium was built--now has a glass ceiling, just like Top of the Rock. Otherwise, the restoration stayed true to the original, which was futuristic enough, instead of going to Reichstag route and adding onto it.

In the American tradition, there's also a restaurant on top. Just what you'd expect from a structure described (on the Atomium web site) as "the most astonishing in the world".

[Image via zig/Flickr]  

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