The Zeiss Major Planetarium Berlin
The planetarium's former projector (decommissioned in 2014)

The Zeiss Major Planetarium[1] (German Zeiss-Großplanetarium) is a planetarium in Berlin, and one of the largest modern stellar theatres in Europe. It is located on the borders of the Ernst-Thälmann-Park housing estates in the Prenzlauer Berg locality of Berlin.

History

It was one of the last buildings built in the GDR, constructed in 1987, the 750th anniversary of Berlin.[2] Planning for the area commenced with old gas works to be torn down by 1981. The anniversary gave an opportunity to the Communist government to create a new style of housing estate with decorative high-rise residential buildings, a cultural centre with restaurants, and a planetarium supposed to be larger than the old one in the Archenhold Observatory of Berlin.

The building was designed by architect Erhardt Gißke, and opened on schedule on 9 October 1987.

Description

The dome of the main hall has a diameter of 23 metres (75 ft) and is equipped with a Universarium IX planetarium projector from Carl Zeiss AG.

There is also a café and a movie theatre with 160 seats. The dome hall has not only a planetarium projector but also up to 100 slide projectors, a laser show installation, and sound equipment, including a recording studio to create new shows.

Uses

The building is not only used for astronomy shows; the dome hall with 292 seats also allows for music concerts and audio drama, with a regularly-scheduled "audio theatre under a starry sky" (German: Hörspielkino unterm Sternenhimmel) running since 1995.

It serves as one of many venues for the Berlin International Film Festival each February. It has two spaces available for film screenings: the planetarium hall with 307 seats, and a cinema hall with 160 seats. It was one of the last buildings built in the GDR, constructed in 1987.[2]

See also

52°32′34.75″N 13°25′40.75″E / 52.5429861°N 13.4279861°E / 52.5429861; 13.4279861

References

  1. ↑ "Zeiss Grossplanetarium – History". lays the cornerstone for the new Zeiss Major Planetarium in Berlin.
  2. 1 2 "Festival Map: Zeiss Planetarium". Berlinale. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
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