We had about a half-day tour of Brussels that included the Atomium (a reproduction of an iron molecule magnified 165 billion times), built in 1958 for the World Expo. It has been remodeled and is now covered with stainless steel. A popular tourist attraction, it is not uncommon to see people standing with both arms in the air being captured on film as though they are holding the balls aloft.
Brussels is famous for several things: the smurfs, it has the most Michelin restaurants, it has the most secret societies still in operation, it has the most diplomats, over 1200 journalists and 10,000 plus lobbyists. I guess we can deduce that it is a hub of European politics even though it operates today with no government.