Brussels shuts Atomium as giant balls overheat

BERLIN: The Atomium monument in Brussels, famed for its giant stainless steel balls, closed early Tuesday as the heatwave sweeping Europe pushed temperatures in the Belgian capital towards 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Due to the extreme heat and structural nature of the building, the temperature inside the Atomium will be particularly high over the next few days,” said the monument’s management.

The authorities said they were shutting the molecule-shaped complex to the public 3.5 hours early on Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid the risks caused by the high temperatures.

It is very rare for the Atomium, built for the 1958 World’s Fair in the shape of a mammoth iron crystal, to be closed due to heat.

One of the most visited sites in the Belgian capital, the 102-metre (335-feet) structure was shut to the public only once previously for that reason in July 2019 when temperatures reached a record 41.8C.

Cold baths, climate shelters as S Europe heatwave intensifies

Withering conditions that have baked southern Europe for days have crept northward, shutting some schools and daycare centres in France and the Netherlands, and sparking health warnings.

Scientists said it was unusual for such heat to hit Europe this early in the season but that human-caused climate change from burning fossil fuels was making these once-rare events far more likely.