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35-473: The first astronomical observatory operated by the University of Copenhagen was Rundetårn . It had been inaugurated in 1642 as a replacement for Tycho Brahe 's Stjerneborg , but during the early 19th century had become outdated as astronomical instruments grew bigger and bigger while the tower could not be expanded. In the same time, light pollution from the surrounding city as well as vibrations caused by

70-592: A church tower . Steenwinckel — whose name is otherwise synonymous with Dutch Renaissance architecture in Denmark — with the Trinitatis Complex has left his signature style. Unlike his other buildings with their lavish ornamentations and extravagant spires, the complex is built to a focused and restrained design. Hans van Steenwinckel must have been up on the situation in Holland, cognizant that

105-432: A focal depth of 4.9m. The Østervold Observatory is a south-facing, three-winged building, designed by Christian Hansen . The central wing is topped by a dome . containing the main instrument. The side wings contained residences for the director, the observer as well as assistants. To secure the best possible foundation of the instruments, the foundation of the building rests on the original, true ground surface, penetrating

140-559: A share of their earnings during the construction years. In 1642, the tower was finally completed, though the church was completed only in 1657 and the library in 1657. Christian Longomontanus became the first director of the observatory. In the Great Fire of 1728 the Trinitatis Complex was severely damaged but was rebuilt. The first people with a home in the Round Tower were probably astronomers thus living close to their work in

175-457: A toilet which consists of a seat almost at the top and a shaft leading down to the bottom floor built into the hollow core. Today the tower serves as an observation tower, a public astronomical observatory, an exhibition and concert venue and a historical monument. In 1860 the University of Copenhagen decommissioned the Round Tower as a university observatory but in 1928 it was reconstructed as an observatory with access for amateur astronomers and

210-647: Is a 17th-century tower in Copenhagen , Denmark , one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV . Built as an astronomical observatory , it is noted for its equestrian staircase , a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the platform at the top (34.8 meters above ground), and its views over Copenhagen. The tower is part of the Trinitatis Complex which also includes a chapel, the Trinitatis Church , and an academic library, which were

245-619: The Bell-Ringer 's Loft, both located above the church. The ramp turns 7.5 times around the hollow masonry core of the tower before reaching the observation deck and observatory at the top, on the way also affording access to the Library Hall as well as the Ringer's Loft. This design was chosen to allow a horse and carriage to reach the library, moving books in and out of the library as well as transporting heavy and sensitive instruments to

280-409: The theoretical works such as those of Andrea Palladio and of Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola . Steenwinckel may have paid a visit to his native Netherlands prior to his change in style but it will have been too early for him to have seen any of the period's buildings realized. Instead of stairs, a 7.5-turn spiral ramp forms the only access way to the towertop observatory as well as the Library Hall and

315-548: The American astronomer Henry Norris Russell ). Around 1950, he developed the uvbyß photoelectric system, which is still in use today. In the 1950s, the Østervold Observatory was replaced by the Brorfelde Observatory located near the town of Holbæk , which was provided with a very fine meridian circle and a Schmidt telescope with a camera that used photographic film. It houses a 300 double reflector with

350-535: The Meridian circle for creating one of the most comprehensive astronomical catalogues of the time of stars of the 8th-9th magnitude : 10,000 positions on 259 observation nights. The next director of the Østervold Observatory was Thorvald N. Thiele , a skilful mathematician who developed a new method of determining the orbit of Binary stars . He founded the tradition for numerical computational mathematics, which has lasted up to modern times. In 1907, Elis Strömgren

385-478: The Observatory. Most of the time, the leading observer lived in a professor's residence down in the city, while one or two employees lived in small rooms at the top of the tower. The earliest inhabitant of the Round Tower was observer Peder Horrebow who lodged there in 1753. During the early 19th century, the Round Tower became outdated as an astronomical observatory. Instruments were growing still larger while

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420-594: The Round Tower Observatory, first referred to as STELLÆBURGI REGII HAUNIENSIS, would follow. After Tycho Brahe had fallen out of favour and left Denmark, Christian Longomontanus had become Christian IV's new astronomer and the first professor of astronomy at the University of Copenhagen . In 1625 he suggested the king build an astronomical tower as a replacement for Brahe's Stjerneborg which had been demolished. Longomontanus' initial proposal

455-617: The displacement characteristic of a planet , as opposed to a stationary star . Neptune was discovered that very night . D'Arrest's later work at the Leipzig Observatory led him, in 1851, to the discovery of the comet named for him (formally designated 6P/d'Arrest ). He also studied asteroids , discovering 76 Freia , nebulae , and galaxies, discovering NGC 1 in 1861 and NGC 26 and NGC 358 in 1865. In 1864 D'Arrest made an unsuccessful search for Martian satellites , and posited an upper limit of 70 minutes of arc as

490-552: The double refractor enabled the observatory to participate in photographic observations without having to give up visual observations. This double refractor is still found in the dome of the Østervold Observatory, while the 1861 refractor is displayed at the Steno Museum in Århus . c 1862-1875: Heinrich Louis d'Arrest 1875-1907: Thorvald N. Thiele 1907-1940: Elis Strömgren 1940–1951. Bengt Strömgren Rundet%C3%A5rn The Round Tower ( Danish : Rundetårn )

525-425: The entire depth of the ramparts on which the building stands. This took 1/3 of the bricks used for the entire complex. The original main instrument of the observatory, housed in the dome, was a 280 mm refractor with a focal distance of 4.9 m. In 1895, this telescope was replaced by a 360 mm refractor with a focal length of 4.9 m and a 200 mm photographic lens with a focal length of 4.8 m. The purchase of

560-546: The first facilities of the Copenhagen University Library founded in 1482. Astronomy had grown in importance in 17th-century Europe. Countries had begun competing with each other in establishing colonies, creating a need for accurate navigation across the oceans. Many national observatories were therefore established, the first in 1632 at Leiden in the Dutch Republic . Only five years later

595-399: The general public. It is open from mid-October to mid-March. Since 1987, the Library Hall which lies above The Trinitatis Church, has served as an exhibition space, featuring various exhibitions of art, culture, history and science. At the same time, it is used as a concert venue, every year hosting around a hundred concerts. The observation deck affords extensive views over the rooftops of

630-520: The latticework, Christian IV's monogram and the letters RFP are seen, the letters representing the King's motto: Regna Firmat Pietas – Piety strengthens the Realms. The observatory is a small domed building, built on the roof of the tower. Built in 1929, the current observatory is 7 m high and has a diameter of 6 m. Access is by a narrow winding stone staircase from the observation deck. On

665-463: The next three loads the following month and the remainder on demand. The Trinitatis Complex was set for construction in a crowded neighbourhood of narrow streets and alleyways. The area first had to be cleared. On 18 April 1637, 200 men, soldiers and personnel from Bremerholm began to demolish the half-timbered houses occupying the site. The foundation stone was laid on 7 July 1637. When Hans van Steenwinckel died on 6 August 1639, Leonhard Blasius

700-475: The observatory. The winding corridor has a length of 210 m, climbing 3.74 m per turn. Along the outer wall the corridor has a length of 257.5 m and a grade of 10%, while along the wall of the inner core the corridor is only 85.5 m long but has a grade of 33%. The observation deck is located 34.8 m above street level. Along the edge of the platform runs a wrought-iron lattice made in 1643 by Kaspar Fincke, Court Artist in metalwork. In

735-707: The old part of Copenhagen with its many spires, including the Marble Church , the Nikolaj contemporary art center , Christiansborg Palace , Christiansborg Slotskirke  [ da ] , the Church of the Holy Ghost , Copenhagen City Hall , Palace Hotel , the Church of Our Lady , St. Peter's Church , the Great Synagogue , St. Andrew's Church , Rosenborg Castle , the Church of Our Saviour and

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770-460: The pipes of Amagerværket  [ da ] . On clear days, both the Øresund Bridge and Sweden can be seen in the distance. Every year in spring, a unicycle race is held in the Round Tower. The contestants have to go up and down the tower. The world record, set in 1988, is 1 minute and 48.7 seconds. Heinrich Louis d%27Arrest Heinrich Louis d'Arrest (13 August 1822 – 14 June 1875; German pronunciation: [daˈʁɛ]   )

805-528: The site are not known but as it was conveniently located next to the Regensen dormitories and the university, it was chosen for his new prestigious project. Although there is no clear proof, it is generally accepted that Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger was charged with the commission to design the new edifice though he did not live to see the tower completed. From 24 November 1636, stones were brought to

840-564: The site for the foundation, first from the city's ramparts and later from the area around Roskilde . Bricks were ordered from the Netherlands since local manufacturers could not meet the high quality standards requested. In February 1637, a contract was signed with a Henrik van Dingklage in Emden for the supply of bricks for the construction. The first three ship loads were to be delivered in May,

875-400: The still increasing traffic in the streets below had made the observations inaccurate. In 1861 the observatory was moved to Østervold , where a new observatory was constructed on the old bastioned fortifications of the city, which had become outdated and were being abandoned. The well-known Russian-German astronomer, Heinrich Louis d'Arrest , who had been appointed professor in astronomy at

910-489: The style which he had once learned from Hendrick de Keyser had been altogether abandoned. The architects now setting the agenda in the Netherlands, masters such as Jacob van Kampen (Amsterdam City Hall), Pieter Post ( Mauritshuis in the Hague) and Philip Vingboons , now favoured a style characterized by sobriety and restraint. It is now known as Dutch Baroque or sometimes Dutch Classicism. Its proponents often relied on

945-406: The tower could not be expanded and, at the same time, light pollution from the surrounding city and vibrations caused by the ever increasing traffic in the streets below had made the observations inaccurate. The University therefore decided to build Østervold Observatory on the old bastioned fortifications of the city, which had become outdated and were being decommissioned. The new observatory

980-441: The university in 1857, was chosen to plan the new observatory. He used the observatory for his study of nebulas , in 1867 publishing an astronomical catalogue of 1,942 nebulas with 4,900 positions. He also did significant work in spectroscopy , and discovered, for the first time, the differences in the evolutionary state and spatial distribution of stars. While d'Arrest used the main telescope, observer H. C. F. C. Schjellerup used

1015-570: The upper part of the façade of the tower, there is a gilded rebus inscription. Christian IV's draft of it, written in his own hand writing, is kept at the Danish National Archives . The rebus includes the four Hebrew consonants of the Tetragrammaton . The rebus can be interpreted in the following way: Lead Jehovah, the right teaching and justice into the heart of the crowned King Christian IV, 1642 . The tower contains

1050-523: Was a German astronomer , born in Berlin . His name is sometimes given as Heinrich Ludwig d'Arrest . While still a student at the University of Berlin , d'Arrest was party to Johann Gottfried Galle 's search for Neptune . On 23 September 1846, he suggested that a recently drawn chart of the sky, in the region of Urbain Le Verrier 's predicted location, could be compared with the current sky to seek

1085-681: Was appointed professor and director of the observatory, and under his direction the computational work continued. During World War I , the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams , founded by Astronomische Gesellschaft in 1882, was moved from Kiel , Germany, to the Østervold Observatory. It remained located in Copenhagen until 1965, when it was moved to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory , Cambridge , United States. In 1940 Ellis Strömgren

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1120-483: Was brought to Denmark from the Netherlands as new Royal Building Master. Unlike his predecessor, he would become a mere transitional figure in Danish architecture, dying just four years after his arrival in the country without leaving any notable buildings of his own design. On several occasions construction work came to a standstill due to shortage of funds. Churches in Denmark and Norway were therefore ordered to contribute

1155-527: Was inaugurated in 1861 to the design of Christian Hansen . The Round Tower is a cylindrical tower built in masonry of alternating yellow and red bricks, the colours of the Oldenburgs . The bricks used were manufactured in the Netherlands and are of a hard-burned, slender type known as muffer or mopper . On the rear side, it is attached to the Trinitatis Church, but it has never served as

1190-475: Was succeeded by his son Bengt Strömgren , who made the pioneering discovery that hydrogen is the most abundant element in the stellar interior . He was also the first to make the correct interpretation of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (the relation between the total energy output from a star and its surface temperature was independently found by the Danish chemist and astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and

1225-419: Was to erect the new observatory on the top of the hill Solbjerget, now known as Valby Bakke. But since there were also plans for the construction of a new students' church and a library for the university, the idea of merging the three buildings into one grand complex emerged. Already in 1622, Christian IV had bought the land where it was ultimately decided to build the Trinitatis Complex. His original plans for

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