Planetarium and observatory Kreuzlingen
The Bodensee Planetarium and Observatory Foundation and the private Astronomical Association Kreuzlingen auf dem Seerücken on the outskirts of Kreuzlingen have been running a public observatory since 1976 and a publicly accessible planetarium since 2002 under the name Bodensee Planetarium und Sternwarte .
concept
The observatory and the planetarium are intended to "make astronomical knowledge and ideas accessible to a broad section of the population" - according to the operator's declaration. For this purpose, group tours and weekly public observation evenings are offered in the observatory. The planetarium has a weekly schedule with different programs.
business
Since April 2011, the observatory has been equipped with a 20-inch Cassegrain telescope . This instrument is complemented by an apochromatic refractor with a 193 mm opening . In addition to the observation dome with these permanently installed instruments, a roof terrace with mobile telescopes can also be used. In the center of the 10 meter large dome of the planetarium is a ZKP-3 planetarium projector for displaying the starry sky and the movements of the sun, moon and planets. Combined with two high-performance video projectors (VELVET from Zeiss) and a surround sound system, changing presentations are offered to a wide audience.
history
In 1961 Paul Wetzel founded the Astronomical Group Kreuzlingen as a loose association of individuals. With the help of his 30 cm Newtonian reflecting telescope, which was very large at the time, Wetzel knew how to win over interested parties and members to the astronomical group on both sides of the border. Lectures on astronomy were increasingly being held in Kreuzlingen, and the audience and the circle of members and friends of the Kreuzlingen Astronomical Group grew steadily. So in 1969 the idea arose to build a small observatory in Kreuzlingen.
After the city of Kreuzlingen granted the Astronomical Group Kreuzlingen a building permit on June 24, 1969, the final decision was made in 1970 to start planning an observatory. At the same time, a fundraising campaign was started that raised almost 100,000 francs by March 1972.
In dealing with the authorities and in view of the increased assets, it was necessary to give the Kreuzlingen Astronomical Group statutes and to run it as an association under Swiss law (Art. 60ff. ZGB ). On January 8, 1972, the current owner of the planetarium and the Kreuzlingen observatory was founded under the name Astronomische Vereinigung Kreuzlingen (AVK) . Shortly afterwards, on February 28, 1972, the foundation deed of the “Stiftung Sternwarte” was signed by the AVK and notarized, so that nothing stood in the way of construction. In 1976 the Kreuzlingen observatory was inaugurated. In 2002 the observatory was expanded to include the planetarium.