Archenhold-Sternwarte

Archenhold Observatory: Where Children Discover Space

Since 1896, Treptower Park has been home to Germany’s largest and oldest public observatory. Its landmark is the Great Refractor, popularly known as the “Himmelskanone” (Celestial Cannon): 21 meters focal length, 680 millimeters objective diameter, weighing 130 tons and fully operational to this day, it is the world’s longest movable refracting telescope. In addition, there’s a Cassegrain reflector telescope, a Coudé telescope, and an in-house planetarium with 31 seats. In the large lecture hall, now called the Einstein Hall, Albert Einstein publicly spoke for the first time about the General Theory of Relativity in 1915. Visitors with children experience astronomy here not as a lecture, but as technology to behold: rotatable domes and instruments larger than a classroom.

Programs for Children and a Meteorite to Touch

The Museum of Celestial Studies has existed since 1909 and is accessible without admission. Its centerpiece is a 283.5-kilogram fragment of the meteorite that created the Barringer Crater in Arizona, made entirely of nickel-iron and expressly made available for touching. Alongside it are a movable model of the giant telescope and a restored meridian circle from 1891. For children, there are tiered programs: The visit to the “Sternenhaus” (Star House) lasts 45 minutes and is aimed at children aged 5 and older; the “Sternenkieker” (Star Gazer) observation for children aged 8 and older lasts 90 minutes; the general tour is intended for those aged 12 and older. Guided tours, observations, and lectures cost 12 Euros, reduced 8 Euros, school classes and kindergarten groups 5 Euros per person.