Glashütte Observatory

In the small Saxon town of Glashütte, Germany, long celebrated for fine watchmaking, the Glashütte Observatory ties the night sky to the workbench. Opened in 1910, it now runs as the country's official chronometer test centre.

About Glashütte Observatory

The observatory occupies a 620-square-metre site and is run today by the Hamburg watchmaker WEMPE, which acquired and renovated it in 2005 at a cost of around 1.5 million euros. Since September 2006 it has operated as a chronometer test centre, the only facility of its kind in Germany and the sole one outside Switzerland. Wristwatches sent here undergo a fifteen-day trial to the DIN 8319 standard before they can be certified as chronometers.

History

The observatory opened its doors in 1910 to support Glashütte's watchmaking trade with accurate chronometer testing. In the 1930s and 1940s, under astronomers Otto Lange and Herbert Wempe, its work broadened to include astronomical observation alongside the training of local watchmakers, linking the town's craft tradition to the same stars once used for navigation and precise timekeeping.

Location & getting there

Glashütte Observatory sits in Saxony, in eastern Germany, in the historic watchmaking town it is named for. It pairs naturally with a visit to the town's watch museums and workshops.

Visiting Glashütte Observatory

The site functions primarily as a working chronometer test facility rather than a general public attraction. Check WEMPE's official page for current information before planning a visit.

See your named star from here

Even a facility built to test watches to the second sits under the same night sky visible across Saxony. If you've named a star with Star Register, your certificate carries exact coordinates that observatory staff anywhere can use to locate it. Browse the full star catalogue to find yours.