Expo 58
Belgium won the bid for the 1958 world's fair in 1953. The nation beat out other European capitals like Paris and London to host the event. This victory marked the eleventh time Belgium hosted a world's fair overall, but only the fifth time in Brussels itself. Previous fairs had occurred in 1888, 1897, 1910, and 1935. The Belgian government under Prime Minister Achille Van Acker decided to skip their usual national celebrations in 1955. They needed extra funding to prepare for this massive international gathering. Nearly 15,000 workers spent three years constructing the site on the Heysel Plateau north-west of central Brussels. Many buildings reused materials from the 1935 World's Fair held at the same location. The exhibition theme was Evaluation of the world for a more humane world. This motto reflected faith in technical progress and post-war debates about atomic power ethics. The event attracted approximately 41.5 million visitors between April 17 and the 19th of October 1958. It became the second largest world's fair after the 1900 Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Paris which drew 48 million people.
The Atomium stands as a giant model of an iron crystal unit cell. Each sphere represents an atom within the structure. King Baudouin opened the building with a call for world peace and social progress. Originally designed to last only six months during the exhibition, the structure remained standing forever. Its outer coating received renewal on the 50th anniversary of the event. Today it serves as an emblem of Brussels comparable to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Austria presented a modernist pavilion designed by Karl Schwanzer. This building later moved to Vienna to host the museum of the 20th century. In 2011 it reopened under the new name 21er Haus. The Czechoslovakian pavilion featured a simple yet graceful construction by architects František Cubr, Josef Hrubý, and Zdeněk Pokorný. Jindřich Santar designed the exposition One Day in Czechoslovakia alongside artists Jiří Trnka and Antonín Kybal. The pavilion attracted 6 million visitors and won the award for best pavilion of Expo 58. Yugoslavia's government accepted the invitation in November 1954. Architect Vjenceslav Richter originally proposed suspending the entire structure from a cable-stayed mast. When that proved too complicated he devised a tension column with six steel arches supported by pre-stressed cables.
The Belgian Congo section sat near the Atomium model. It included participants from UN trust territories Ruanda-Urundi without differentiation. Seven pavilions displayed everything from agriculture to mines and metallurgy. A village indigène served as one of the most notable human zoos of the 20th century. The Ministry of Colonies built this exhibit to demonstrate claims of civilizing primitive Africans. Native Congolese art was rejected because officials claimed it was insufficiently Congolese. Nearly all displayed art came from Europeans creating imitative primitive styles. An armed guard blocked communication between white Belgians and the 598 exhibited Congolese people. These individuals were educated urbanites known as évolués yet forced into primitive clothing. There were 273 men, 128 women, and 197 children totaling 183 families. Eight-month-old baby Juste Bonaventure Langa died during the exhibit and is buried in Tervuren Cemetery. In mid-July Congolese protesters demanded to be sent home after receiving condescending treatment. Their actions abruptly ended the exhibit and elicited sympathy from some European newspapers. The socialist newspaper Le Peuple praised the portrayal saying it matched historical truth.
The Soviet Union presented a large impressive building that folded up for transport back to Russia. A bookstore sold science books published by Moscow Press in English and other languages. Experimental Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 prototypes appeared in a celestial mechanics display. Sputnik 1 debuted on the 4th of October 1957 before completing its geocentric orbit on the 4th of January 1958. The exposition highlighted a model of the nuclear-powered icebreaker Lenin alongside automobiles like GAZ-21 Volga and ZIL-111. The Soviet exhibition won a Grand Prix award. The United States pavilion included a fashion show with models walking down a spiral staircase. An electronic computer demonstrated knowledge of history while a color television studio operated behind glass. Walt Disney Productions created America the Beautiful as a 360-degree movie attraction inside Circarama. This film later traveled to the American National Exhibition in Moscow in 1959. It found its first American audiences at Disneyland in Anaheim in 1960. Hungary participated during turbulent times when Stalinist leader Mátyás Rákosi had exiled reformist prime minister Imre Nagy. By the time the exhibition closed in 1958 Rákosi himself was exiled and Nagy tried and executed.
Thousands of critics and filmmakers organized the first universal film poll in history. Nominations came from 117 critics across 26 nations. Battleship Potemkin received 100 votes while The Gold Rush followed with 95. A jury of young filmmakers including Robert Aldrich and Satyajit Ray voted not to select a single winner. They indicated that several films still held value for young creators. These included Grand Illusion, Mother, The Passion of Joan of Arc, and Bicycle Thieves. Poème électronique played back from 425 loudspeakers placed at specific points within the Philips Pavilion. Iannis Xenakis designed the sound placement alongside Le Corbusier. Mozart's Requiem autograph appeared on display until someone tore off the bottom right-hand corner of page 99r/45r. The missing fragment containing words Quam olim d: C: has never been recovered. The perpetrator remains unidentified. The event offered occasion for musical performances by groups like the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra under Edward Lee Alley.
Expo 58 left deep impressions on Belgium through major upheavals and works in Brussels. Boulevards transformed into urban motorways as part of infrastructure changes. The Atomium became one of the city's must-see landmarks after remaining standing beyond its original six-month lifespan. A new terminal added to Melsbroek national airport gave its name to Zaventem municipality. Several tram lines built to serve the site remain in service today. Line 81 was temporarily deviated to run all the way through Brussels with endpoints at both ends of the Expo. SABENA increased capacity by renting Lockheed Constellations due to expected visitor numbers. The Belgian €100 commemorative coin minted in 2008 featured the Expo 58 logo together with number 50 representing its anniversary. Lucien De Roeck designed the original logo while Leo Marfurt produced posters based on it. Since 1958 Belgium has not organized any more world fairs. The Yugoslavian pavilion sold and reconstructed as a school in Wevelgem still stands today.
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Common questions
When did Expo 58 take place in Brussels?
Expo 58 took place between April 17 and the 19th of October 1958. The event attracted approximately 41.5 million visitors during this period.
Who won the bid to host Expo 58 in Belgium?
Belgium won the bid for the 1958 world's fair in 1953. The nation beat out other European capitals like Paris and London to host the event.
What happened to the Congo exhibit at Expo 58?
The Belgian Congo section included a village indigène that served as one of the most notable human zoos of the 20th century. An armed guard blocked communication between white Belgians and the 598 exhibited Congolese people until protesters demanded to be sent home in mid-July.
How many visitors attended Expo 58 compared to previous fairs?
The exhibition attracted approximately 41.5 million visitors, making it the second largest world's fair after the 1900 Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Paris which drew 48 million people.
Why did the Atomium remain standing after Expo 58 ended?
Originally designed to last only six months during the exhibition, the structure remained standing forever. Its outer coating received renewal on the 50th anniversary of the event and today it serves as an emblem of Brussels comparable to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.