Einstein Tower
Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Einstein Tower is a striking solar observatory in the Albert Einstein Science Park in Potsdam, Germany, designed to test Einstein's theory of relativity against direct observations of the Sun.
About Einstein Tower
Built to house a solar telescope conceived by astronomer Erwin Finlay-Freundlich, the tower was designed to measure the gravitational redshift of light from the Sun — a key prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Einstein himself never worked there but supported the telescope's construction and operation. Today the tower remains a working solar observatory operated by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP).
History
Constructed between 1919 and 1924 to a design by architect Erich Mendelsohn, the tower opened in 1920 on the summit of the Potsdam Telegrafenberg. It was fully renovated between 2021 and 2023, with funding from the Wüstenrot Foundation, and reopened to visitors in September 2023.
Telescopes & research
The observatory's 60 cm telescope feeds a long-focus spectrograph capable of resolving around 400 million colours across the solar spectrum, with an image resolution of about one arcsecond — sharp enough to pick out structures on the Sun as small as 700 km across. Current research uses spectropolarimetric measurements of solar active regions to study the Sun's magnetic fields and surface motion.
Location & getting there
The Einstein Tower stands on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam, on the edge of Berlin, within the Albert Einstein Science Park alongside other Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam facilities.
Visiting Einstein Tower
The tower reopened after renovation in September 2023; check the AIP website for current visiting information, as the building is not wheelchair accessible.
See your named star from here
While the Einstein Tower's telescope is dedicated to solar research, its history of precision astronomical measurement makes it a fitting place to reflect on a star named through Star Register. Name a star or browse the star catalogue.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check the official website and Google Maps for current times before you travel.
Not wheelchair accessible
