300
the observatory were moved to Helsinki, the old observatory in Turku was reconstructed and used as a museum.
Particularly striking is the “Observatorio Astronomico” in Quito, Ecuador,
(1873), the second oldest observatory in South America. It was built in Neoclassical
style, and more particularly, Victorian style. The architect Juan Bautista Menten
(1838–1900) chose a cross with six cylindrical “domes” for the front elevation and
layout. This was inspired by the Bonn Observatory. These two observatories could
be suitable for a cultural World Heritage “serial transnational application” with
Quito as the leading observatory in a non-Western country—in the sense of “filling
the gaps”.
17
4 Observatories in the Nineteenth Century: Three-DomeFacade, a Recognizable Landmark
A new type of architecture started around 1800 involving observatories with a dome
(first a cylindrical or conic shape), then a spherical dome, symbolizing the sky, atop
of the main building, a feature that is nowadays seen as typical for observatories.
Around 1800, Gotha was the leading observatory in Europe. It was built in 1788 and
was the location chosen by Franz Xaver von Zach (1754–1832) to host the first
international astronomical congress in 1798. In 1800 he initiated the “Vereinigte
Astronomische Gesellschaft” (United Astronomical Society), founded in Lilienthal
near Bremen. This is an early example of an international network in Europe, connected with the discovery of the first four asteroids (now dwarf planet): Ceres
(1801), Pallas (1802), Juno (1804) and Vesta (1807). The Ducal Observatory,
located on “Seeberg” hill, was a prototype building with strong fundaments for the
instruments in the meridian hall (two mural quadrants and a passage (transit) instrument), and in the tower with the revolving dome (vertical circle made by Cary). The
observatory was dismantled and closed in 1934 (only the pillars of the meridian
circle exist).
Like Gotha Observatory, Göttingen Observatory (1816), where Carl Friedrich
Gauß (1777–1855) acted as director, displays also this feature of an early rotating
spherical dome. Other important examples of early one-dome observatories are
Dunsink Observatory near Dublin, Ireland (1785), and Armagh Observatory,
Northern Ireland (1790). Cylindrical domes are in Tartu Observatory, Estonia
(1802), and Lisbon, Portugal (1861).
The old Hamburg Observatory, initiated by Johann Georg Repsold (1771–1830)
and built by the architect Hinrich Anton Christian Koch (1758–1840) in 1825, had
two cylindrical domes. This was an unusual feature, but the observatory was used
17 A serial property is a “property where two or more component parts are required to express the
“Outstanding Universal Value”. If more than one country is involved, then the phrase “transnational serial” is applied. See https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2009/whc09-33com-10Ae.pdf
(Accessed: 20 June 2020).
G. Wolfschmidt
the observatory were moved to Helsinki, the old observatory in Turku was reconstructed and used as a museum.
Particularly striking is the “Observatorio Astronomico” in Quito, Ecuador,
(1873), the second oldest observatory in South America. It was built in Neoclassical
style, and more particularly, Victorian style. The architect Juan Bautista Menten
(1838–1900) chose a cross with six cylindrical “domes” for the front elevation and
layout. This was inspired by the Bonn Observatory. These two observatories could
be suitable for a cultural World Heritage “serial transnational application” with
Quito as the leading observatory in a non-Western country—in the sense of “filling
the gaps”.
17
4 Observatories in the Nineteenth Century: Three-DomeFacade, a Recognizable Landmark
A new type of architecture started around 1800 involving observatories with a dome
(first a cylindrical or conic shape), then a spherical dome, symbolizing the sky, atop
of the main building, a feature that is nowadays seen as typical for observatories.
Around 1800, Gotha was the leading observatory in Europe. It was built in 1788 and
was the location chosen by Franz Xaver von Zach (1754–1832) to host the first
international astronomical congress in 1798. In 1800 he initiated the “Vereinigte
Astronomische Gesellschaft” (United Astronomical Society), founded in Lilienthal
near Bremen. This is an early example of an international network in Europe, connected with the discovery of the first four asteroids (now dwarf planet): Ceres
(1801), Pallas (1802), Juno (1804) and Vesta (1807). The Ducal Observatory,
located on “Seeberg” hill, was a prototype building with strong fundaments for the
instruments in the meridian hall (two mural quadrants and a passage (transit) instrument), and in the tower with the revolving dome (vertical circle made by Cary). The
observatory was dismantled and closed in 1934 (only the pillars of the meridian
circle exist).
Like Gotha Observatory, Göttingen Observatory (1816), where Carl Friedrich
Gauß (1777–1855) acted as director, displays also this feature of an early rotating
spherical dome. Other important examples of early one-dome observatories are
Dunsink Observatory near Dublin, Ireland (1785), and Armagh Observatory,
Northern Ireland (1790). Cylindrical domes are in Tartu Observatory, Estonia
(1802), and Lisbon, Portugal (1861).
The old Hamburg Observatory, initiated by Johann Georg Repsold (1771–1830)
and built by the architect Hinrich Anton Christian Koch (1758–1840) in 1825, had
two cylindrical domes. This was an unusual feature, but the observatory was used
17 A serial property is a “property where two or more component parts are required to express the
“Outstanding Universal Value”. If more than one country is involved, then the phrase “transnational serial” is applied. See https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2009/whc09-33com-10Ae.pdf
(Accessed: 20 June 2020).
G. Wolfschmidt