Hamburg observatory (before 1909)

Before Hamburg's astronomical observatory settled at its current site in Bergedorf, the city hosted a series of earlier observatories dating back to the early 18th century. This entry covers that pre-1909 history in the city of Hamburg, Germany.

About Hamburg observatory (before 1909)

The earliest recorded Hamburg observatory operated from Baumwall in the 1720s and 1730s as a private collection of instruments. Between 1802 and 1803 a private observatory known as the Repsold Observatory was set up on the bastion Albertus at Stintfang, equipped with meridian instruments; it was damaged by cannon fire in 1811 and later demolished. A new Millerntor Observatory was completed in 1825 next to the Millerntor gate and was adopted as a municipal institute by the City of Hamburg in 1833.

History

Christian Karl Ludwig Rümker served as the city's first municipal director of the observatory, succeeded by his son George Rümker in 1857. Richard Schorr later took over as director and, concerned about growing light pollution from the city, pushed for a new site outside Hamburg. The observatory relocated to Bergedorf between 1909 and 1912, where it remains today as the Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory.

Location

These historical sites stood within the city of Hamburg, Germany, before the institution moved to the quieter, darker skies of Bergedorf on the city's outskirts.

Visiting today

None of the pre-1909 observatory buildings survive in their original astronomical use. Visitors interested in Hamburg's observatory history can instead visit the working observatory at Bergedorf, the direct successor to these historic sites.

See your named star from here

You can still name a star and get precise coordinates for it, then have any working observatory point a telescope its way. Explore named stars already in the catalogue.