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Astronomy fans and anyone curious about space come to a former water tower in the Winterhude district to experience the fascination of the universe in one of the oldest star theatres in the world.
Despite its age, Planetarium Hamburg is one of the most modern in the world, having undergone a renovation lasting around two years that was completed in 2017.
It is one of nine large planetariums in Germany and is growing in popularity every year – it is, after all, the most visited planetarium in the country.
Since the modernisation, it has hosted more than 2,300 events, attended by around 380,000 visitors.
The Planetarium is considered one of the landmarks of northern Hamburg.
The tower, around 65 metres high, was built as a water tower between 1912 and 1915 but was only used as such until 1924. In 1929, conversion work began under architect Hans Loop – work that would prove extremely complex.
The basis was a 23-metre-high cylindrical space created beneath the water tank, which was divided by an intermediate ceiling into two floors, each 22 metres in diameter.
On 30 April 1930, the impressive building opened its doors to visitors for the first time. The lower floor housed the ticket office along with exhibition and collection rooms and a promenade hall. On the upper floor, visitors found the centrepiece of the building: the planetarium dome itself, 20.6 metres in diameter, which has served as the projection dome ever since it opened.
In 1970, the original wooden chairs were replaced with plastic seating for 270 visitors. Since the renovation in 2002/2003, there have been 253 modern reclining seats that are far more comfortable.
Lingovo, Schürbeker Straße 5, 22087 Hamburg
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Aby Warburg's collection of astronomical and astrological literature, originally displayed there in fully restored form on the lower floor, has been held at the Art History Institute of the University of Hamburg since 1993, although the library itself remains at the Planetarium.
After the building was completed, painter Dorothea Maetzel-Johannsen decorated the promenade hall in the style of the time. She died before the work was finished, and the artist Heinrich Groth completed the paintings. Over time, the exhibition on the lower floor has repeatedly been adapted to the changing interests of visitors and the Planetarium's management. The focus gradually shifted from the history of astronomy towards space travel and exploration of the solar system. In the late 1990s, the lower floor displayed meteorites, models of spacecraft, illustrations and photos of the Earth and the solar system, as well as one of the largest lunar globes in the world at the time.
The Planetarium adopted modern approaches to museum education and experimented with multimedia shows early on, with music and visual effects taking centre stage instead of the starry sky. Classical concerts under the artificial night sky also proved a hit with audiences.
Well-known scientists have given lectures here, including Heinz Haber, Jesco von Puttkamer, Rudolf Kippenhahn, Bernd Loibl, Reimar Lüst, Sigmund Jähn, Gerhard Neukum and Hartmut Graßl.
After the 2002/2003 renovation, the separation between school shows and public shows was dropped and the number of show topics on offer at the same time was increased. Each topic is shown up to three times a week over a period of several months, complemented by special lectures, concerts and entertainment programmes at weekends and in the evenings.
The viewing platform on the 8th floor, reachable by stairs or lift, offers a panoramic view across the whole of Hamburg.
