Gaussstein
.jpg)
Gauss stones are historical survey pillars that the mathematician and geodesist Carl Friedrich Gauß had erected around 1820 to survey the Kingdom of Hanover . They are mainly found in the area of what is now Lower Saxony . Most of the remaining stones are under monument protection .
history
In 1820 King George IV commissioned the professor of astronomy at the University of Göttingen and director of the Göttingen observatory, Carl Friedrich Gauß, to measure the Kingdom of Hanover. In 1821 Gauss began to work on the area to triangulate the kingdom. With his degree measurements by 1825, he had laid the foundations for further surveying work, which others, including his son Joseph , continued until 1844. As a result, the work on the Gaussian land survey and the development of the Gauß-Krüger coordinate system by Gauss.
execution
As a measurement basis, Gauss needed fixed base points from which he could measure and target other stations. To do this, he used landmarks such as church towers and lighthouses. In addition, he created artificial surveying points in the form of Gauss stones at high locations . These are long and narrow pillars made of stone with a square cover plate. It served to support the measuring devices.
When measuring, Carl Friedrich Gauß used the method of least squares to compensate for the observation errors. To do this, he used a theodolite by Georg Friedrich von Reichenbach and the vice-heliotrope that he had invented to use sunlight for measurement signals. Part of the triangular network of the Gaussian degree measurement and the vice-heliotrope were depicted on the reverse of the 10 DM banknote of the fourth series of the Deutsche Mark.
today
Many Gauss stones have been eliminated over time, despite their solid construction. In many cases, the base points were destroyed shortly after the measurements, because landowners and farmers suspected measures to change the tax system behind the survey work .
Preserving Gauss stones include:
- the Gaußstein (Breithorn) near Unterlüß in the district of Celle
- the Gaußstein on the Brelinger Berg
- the Gauss stones at the edge of the Dassel basin
- the Gaußstein on the Gieseberg near Deiderode in the district of Göttingen
- the Gaußstein (Deister) on the Kalenberg near Bredenbeck
- the Gaußstein (Dörenberg) on the Dörenberg near Georgsmarienhütte
- the Gaußstein (Garlste) in Garlstedt
- the Gaußstein on the Haußelberg in the Lüneburg Heath
- the Gaußstein (Lichtenberge) above Lichtenberg Castle near Salzgitter
Non-preserved Gauss stones include:
- the Gauss stone on the Deister
- the Gaußstein on the Wilseder Berg in the Lüneburg Heath.
Web links
- Torsten Gohlisch, André Sieland: Carl Friedrich Gauß - traces of his life in the Lower Saxony monument atlas
- Gaussian stones and planks - survey points
- Overview of the measured triangular systems in Northern Germany