Barmen Planetarium
The Barmer Planetarium was a planetarium opened in 1926 in the Barmer facilities in Barmen , a current district of Wuppertal . When it opened, it was the first planetarium in the world, apart from a demonstration installation by the projector manufacturer, and was one of the largest of its kind. In 1943 it was damaged in the air raids on Wuppertal , and in the post-war period the structure deteriorated, so that the ruins were demolished in 1955.
history
On 21 October 1924, the city Barmen decided after a screening of a novel optical projection technology of Carl Zeiss in Jena the construction of a new planetarium. The lower entrance area of the Barmer facilities was initially determined as the location. After residents' protests, however, the location was moved to an area above the Barmer town hall .
The City Planning Director Rückle, together with the City Planning Officer Köhler, took over the architectural planning, which provided for a large flight of stairs to an 11 × 4 meter porch and an adjoining dome structure made of an iron network with a pumice concrete shell with a diameter of 24.7 meters and a height of 15 meters. The three doors to the vestibule were framed with sculptures of Mars and Venus made from shell limestone by the Elberfeld- born sculptor Paul Wynand . In the middle of the dome, the 1.7-ton projector with 16 individual projectors built by Carl Zeiss AG was installed, which could project any desired starry sky onto the dome walls. The projection apparatus was the second of its kind worldwide after the Zeiss development specimen. There was space for more than 600 visitors in the dome.
On May 18, 1926 at 5 p.m., the planetarium, which had cost the proud sum of 350,000 Reichsmarks , was ceremonially opened by the Lord Mayor of Barmen Paul Hartmann with a ceremony attended by 500 guests. Dr. Erich Hoffmann, who had been a full-time physics and mathematics teacher at the Sedanstrasse secondary school since 1920 .
The fame as the largest planetarium of its kind lasted only five days. The nearby city of Düsseldorf - presumably inspired by Barmer's efforts - also built a planetarium on the banks of the Rhine in the context of the new buildings for the “ GeSoLei ” exhibition in 1926, which was even larger, especially since it could also be used as a ballroom.
The Barmer Planetarium was a great attraction for the population in the first few years. Interest fell sharply in the following years, partly because of the global economic crisis - also because of the Düsseldorf plant, which attracted interested parties from the surrounding area . Of the 20,000 visitors in 1935, only 650 attended public demonstrations, the rest consisted of school classes and other closed user groups.
On May 30, 1943, there was a heavy air raid on Wuppertal . The planetarium was only slightly damaged by a crack in the dome, but was not subsequently secured, so that water penetrated and damaged the building structure . Looters stole the projection apparatus and the rest of the technical equipment, and the two sculptures were vandalized . After the Second World War , the building fell into disrepair until only the iron framework of the dome remained. The final demolition followed in 1955. Today only a plaque reminds of the building.
See also
Web links
- Planetarium Online ( Memento from February 5, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- Valley magazine
- WDR local time Wuppertal
- tal-server.de
Coordinates: 51 ° 15 ′ 53 ″ N , 7 ° 12 ′ 16 ″ E