Gudrun Wolfschmidt (ed.)

Cultural Heritageof Astronomical Observatories

From Classical Astronomy to Modern Astrophysics

Proceedings of the International ICOMOS Symposiumin Hamburg, October 14–17, 2008

Monuments and Sites / Monuments et Sites / Monumentos y Sitiosedited by ICOMOSOffice: International Secretariat of ICOMOS,49–51 rue de la Fédération, F-75015 Paris

Gefördert vom Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medienaufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages.Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Mediaupon a Decision of the German Bundestag.

Wolfschmidt, Gudrun (ed.):Cultural Heritage of Astronomical Observatories –From Classical Astronomy to Modern AstrophysicsProceedings of the International ICOMOS Symposiumin Hamburg, October 14–17, 2008.ICOMOS – International Council on Monuments and Sites.Berlin: hendrik Bäßler-Verlag (Monuments and Sites XVIII) 2009.

Figure on the front cover: Observatory Tulse Hill near London, with 8′′ refractor and prism spectroscope, 1860/68(Huggins 1899, p. 4)

Figure on the frontispiece: Large Refractor, Hamburg Observatory in Bergedorf (Hamburg Observatory)

Figure on the title page: Renovated 1m-reflector building, Hamburg Observatory in Bergedorf (Photo: A. Seemann)

Figure on the back cover: Hamburg Observatory, large refractor, elevation and longitudinal section, 1906(Archives of Hamburg Observatory)

Gefördert von der Stiftung Denkmalpflege Hamburg und der Behörde für Kultur, Sport und Medien der Freien undHansestadt Hamburg.

ISBN 978-3-930388-53-0Printed in Germany. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Contents

Foreword of ICOMOSMichael Petzet (Munich) 12

PrefaceGudrun Wolfschmidt (Hamburg) 13

Grußwort – Welcome addressSenatorin Dr. Herlind Gundelach (Präses der Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung)and Prof. Dr. Karin von Welck(Senatorin für Kultur, Sport und Medien) 14

1 Introduction to the Topic of the SymposiumFrank Pieter Hesse (Hamburg, Germany) 171.1 German version: Einführung in das Tagungsthema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

2 Opening lecture: The Observatory of the Sun King and Classical AstronomyMichael Petzet (Munich) 252.1 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

3 UNESCO Thematic Initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage”Anna Sidorenko-Dulom (UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Paris, France) 373.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373.2 Astronomy and World Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373.3 Why “Astronomy” and “World Heritage” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373.4 Implementation Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373.5 The Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4 Astronomical Heritage: Towards a Global Perspective and ActionRajesh Kochhar (International Astronomical Union (IAU)) 41

5 Cultural Heritage of Observatories and Instruments –From Classical Astronomy to Modern AstrophysicsGudrun Wolfschmidt (Hamburg, Germany) 435.1 Navigation, Timekeeping and Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435.2 Positional Astronomy with Meridian Circles – Pulkovo as a Model Observatory for the 19th Century 445.3 The Rise of Astrophysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

5.3.1 Change in Instrumentation – Spectrographs and Photometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465.3.2 Change in Instrumentation – Instruments for Astrophotography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475.3.3 The Importance of Reflectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

5.4 Amateurs as Pioneers of Astrophysics, 1860–1874 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495.5 Institutionalisation of Astrophysics, 1874–1914 – Potsdam, the First Institute of Astrophysics in the

World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515.6 Centres of Astrophysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

5.6.1 Centres of Astrophysics in Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515.6.2 Centres of Astrophysics in Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 525.6.3 Centres of Astrophysics in America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

5.7 Change in Observatory Architecture: Astronomy Park and Mountain Observatories . . . . . . . . . . 545.8 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565.9 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

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6 The Pulkovo Observatory on the Centuries’ BorderlineViktor K. Abalakin (St. Petersburg, Russia) 616.1 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

7 Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Observatoire de Paris in the Belle EpoqueSuzanne Débarbat (Paris, France) 777.1 Admiral Mouchez, a Difficult Succession at the Head of the Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777.2 Admiral Mouchez’s Program and Realizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 777.3 A few Years under Tisserand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 797.4 Lœwy, from 1896 to 1907 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 807.5 Baillaud, Successor of Lœwy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 817.6 Nowadays’ Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827.7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

8 The Truncated Modernization (1950–1959): Eduardo Röhl and the Observatories of Cagigal and HamburgPedro Chalbaud (Mérida, Venezuela) 85

9 Die Architektur der Hamburg-Bergedorfer Sternwarte 1906–1912 im Vergleich mit anderen ObservatorienPeter Müller (Köln, Germany) 879.1 Greenwich, Zwiebel-Kuppel (onion dome), 1858 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879.2 Meudon bei Paris (1875), 1877 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879.3 Lick Observatory, Mt. Hamilton, 1875–1888 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889.4 Nizza auf dem Mont Gros, 1879 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889.5 Das argentinische National- Observatorium in La Plata, 1883 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 889.6 US Naval (Marine-) Observatorium in Washington D.C., 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.7 Royal Observatory Blackford Hill in Edinburgh, 1888 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.8 Sternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl, 1896 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.9 Sternwarte Kapstadt, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.10 Observatoire Pic du Midi, 1903 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.11 Sternwarte Hamburg-Bergedorf, 1906–1912 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 929.12 Bibliographie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

10 The Material Culture of Nineteenth-Century Astrometry, its Circulation and Heritage at the AstronomicalObservatory of LisbonPedro Raposo (Oxford, UK / Lisbon, Portugal) 9910.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9910.2 Scientific Context of the Foundation of the AOL: the Measurement of Stellar Distances . . . . . . . . 10010.3 The Controversy on the Parallax of 1830 Groombridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10010.4 An Astronomical Challenge to Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10110.5 The AOL in the Context of Portuguese Regeneration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10110.6 Mobilising Astronomical Know-How to Lisbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10210.7 Organising the Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10310.8 A Monumental and Technical Assemblage to Measure the Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10410.9 Maximizing Tools and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10810.10The Contribution of the AOL for the Determination of the Earth-Sun Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . 10810.11Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10910.12References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11210.13Archives of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

11 Two Observatories in Istanbul: from the Late Ottoman Empire to the Young Turkish RepublicChristophe Benoist (Nice, France) 11511.1 Kandilli Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11511.2 Istanbul University Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11611.3 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

12 Istanbul University Observatory with its Past, Present, and FutureGaye Danişan and Füsun Limboz (Istanbul, Turkey) 121

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13 Heritage and Observatories in Brazil at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: an OverviewMarcus Granato (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) 12313.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12313.2 Origins of some Observatories in Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12313.3 Observatories in Brazil in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

13.3.1 Observatório Imperial do Rio de Janeiro / Observatório Nacional [Imperial Observatory ofRio de Janeiro / National Observatory] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

13.3.2 The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at MAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12613.3.3 Observatório do Valongo – Escola Politécnica [Valongo Observatory / Polytechnic] . . . . . . 12913.3.4 Instituto Astronômico e Meteorológico – Observatório Central (UFRGS) [Institute of Astron-

omy and Meteorology – Central Observatory] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13013.4 Final Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13313.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

14 The Marseille Observatory: the Final Move – A Case Study in the Conservation of Astronomical HeritageJames Caplan (Marseille, France) 139

15 The University Observatory ViennaAnneliese Schnell (Vienna, Austria) 14315.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14315.2 Karl Littrow and his “Theatre for Stars” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14315.3 Instruments of Vienna Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14415.4 Vienna Astronomers and their Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14515.5 The Kuffner Observatory in Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14815.6 Heritage at Risk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14915.7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

16 The First 50 Years of Konkoly ObservatoryLajos G. Balázs, Magda Vargha and Endre Zsoldos (Budapest, Hungary) 15116.1 Prelude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15116.2 New Era in the Development of Astronomy in Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15116.3 Scientific Life at Ógyalla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

16.3.1 Chronology of the Beginning of Scientific Activity in Ógyalla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15216.3.2 Instrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15216.3.3 Solar Physics in the Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15316.3.4 Comets, Meteors, Minor Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15316.3.5 Planetary Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15416.3.6 Stellar Spectroscopy – The Ógyalla Spectral Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15516.3.7 Kövesligethy’s Spectral Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15516.3.8 Kövesligethy vs. Planck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15716.3.9 Discovery of Wien’s Law (Kövesligethy 1885) – Temperature of Celestial Bodies . . . . . . . . 15716.3.10 Impact on Contemporary Astrophysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

16.4 Royal Hungarian Astrophysical Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15716.4.1 The Scientific Programme of the ‘Magyar Kir. Astrophysikai Obs’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15816.4.2 Stellar Photometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15816.4.3 Last Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

16.5 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16016.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

17 Considering Heritage as Part of Astronomy – 100 Years of Bucharest ObservatoryMagda Stavinschi and Catalin Mosoia (Bucharest, Romania) 16517.1 Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16517.2 The Middle Ages and Early Modern Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16517.3 The 19th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16617.4 The First Doctoral Theses in Astronomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16817.5 The Foundation of Bucharest Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16917.6 Other Observatories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16917.7 The Astronomical Observatory of Cluj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17017.8 Development after 1990 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17117.9 The Main Research Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

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18 The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London: Presenting a Small Observatory Site to the PublicGloria Clifton (Greenwich, UK) 17718.1 Historical Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17718.2 The Process of Turning the Observatory into a Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18018.3 The Challenges Presented by Growing Visitor Numbers and Changing Views about the Purpose of

Scientific Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18218.4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18418.5 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

19 The Heritage of the 200-Year-Old University Observatory in TartuReet Mägi (Tartu, Estonia) 18919.1 Observatory Buildings and the Observatory as an Institution – Development and Context . . . . . . 18919.2 Scientific Heritage – Achievements and Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19019.3 The Observatory as a Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19119.4 Struve Geodetic Arc as World Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19319.5 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

20 La Plata Astronomical ObservatoryJuan Carlos Forte and Sofia A. Cora (La Plata, Argentina) 19720.1 Astronomical Observatory as one of the Founding Institutions of La Plata National University . . . 19720.2 The First Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19820.3 Instruments in the Period 1884–1890 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19920.4 Instruments around 1906 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20120.5 Other Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20120.6 Main Buildings Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20120.7 Brief Description of the Main Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20220.8 Concluding Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20320.9 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

21 Astronomical Heritage Sites: Two Early “Mountain” Observatories on the Mediterranean CoastFrançoise Le Guet Tully (Nice, France) and Hamid Sadsaoud (Algiers, Algeria) 20521.1 French Institutional Astronomy around 1880 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20521.2 From the Crimean War to an Observatory in Algiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20521.3 Towards Mountain Observatories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20621.4 “Mountain” Observatories on the Mediterranean Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20621.5 The Nice Astronomical Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20721.6 A Twin Observatory at Algiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20821.7 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

22 The Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, a Valuable Cultural PropertyIan S. Glass (Cape of Good Hope, South Africa) 21122.1 Geographical Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21122.2 Longitude and Latitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21122.3 General Description and World Cultural Importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21122.4 Partial Inventory of Extant Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

22.4.1 Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21122.4.2 Some Movable Artefacts Surviving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

22.5 Brief Survey of the History of the Site and its Uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21222.6 Authenticity and Integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21222.7 Cultural and Symbolic Dimension of the Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21222.8 Documentation and Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21222.9 Present Site Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

22.9.1 State of Conservation of Buildings, Instruments and Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21322.9.2 Restoration and/or Maintenance of the Site and Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

22.10Buffer Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21322.10.1Context and Environment, Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21322.10.2Archaeological/Historical/Heritage Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

22.11Main Threats or Potential Threats to the Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21322.12Environmental Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21422.13Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

8

22.14Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

23 U. S. Naval Observatory: The Move to Georgetown Heights and Double Star Work (1850–1950)Brian Mason (Washington, D.C., USA) 21723.1 Early Years of the Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21723.2 Double Star Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

23.2.1 Visual Micrometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21823.2.2 Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22123.2.3 Double Star Observing Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

23.3 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

24 The Architectural and Instrumental Heritage of the Strasbourg University ObservatoryJean Davoigneau (Strasbourg, France) 225

25 Italian Astronomical Observatories and their Historical Instruments CollectionsIleana Chinnici (Palermo, Italy) 22725.1 A Brief Historical Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22725.2 Buildings and Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22725.3 Conservation and Preservation Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22725.4 From Specola 2000 to Astrum 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22925.5 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

26 Prague and Ondřejov ObservatoryMartin Šolc (Prague, Czech Republic) 233

27 The Old Stockholm Observatory in a Swedish Context and an Argument for the Necessity of an Inventoryof the Swedish Astronomical HeritageInga Elmqvist Söderlund (Stockholm, Sweden) 23527.1 Swedish Astronomical Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23527.2 The Stockholm Old Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23527.3 Other Observatories in Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

27.3.1 Uraniborg/Stjerneborg – Vhen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24127.3.2 Uppsala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24327.3.3 Lund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24427.3.4 Saltsjöbaden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24427.3.5 Other buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

27.4 Swedish Heritage Legislation and Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24727.5 An Argument for an Inventory of Swedish Astronomical Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24727.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

28 Advent of Astronomical Instruments and their Impact – the Indian ContextShylaja B. S. (Bangalore, India) 25128.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25128.2 Advent of Telescopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25128.3 Dawn of Astrophysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25228.4 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25328.5 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25328.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

29 Kodaikanal Observatory (1899)Rajesh Kochhar (Chandigarh, India) 25529.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25529.2 Kodaikanal Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25529.3 North and South Domes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25629.4 Spectroheliograph, Photoheliograph and Tunnel Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25629.5 Landscaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25829.6 Bibliographical Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

9

30 Christopher Hansteen and the Observatory in ChristianiaVidar Enebakk (Oslo, Norway) and Bjørn Ragnvald Pettersen (Ås, Norway) 26130.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26130.2 Hansteen in Christiania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26130.3 Schumacher in Altona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26130.4 The Observatories in Altona and Christiania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26330.5 The Astronomical Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

30.5.1 The Meridian Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26730.5.2 The Utzschneider/Repsold Alt-azimuth Refractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26930.5.3 The Repsold Equatorial Refractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26930.5.4 The Merz Equatorial Refractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27130.5.5 The Merz/Olsen Equatorial Refractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

30.6 The Future of Hansteen’s Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27130.7 Bibliography/References/Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

31 The Telescopes of Hamburg Observatory – History and Present SituationMatthias Hünsch (Hamburg, Germany) 27531.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27531.2 Telescopes at Millerntor Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

31.2.1 Transit Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27531.2.2 Meridian Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27631.2.3 Equatorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

31.3 Telescopes at Bergedorf – The Original Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27631.3.1 Meridian Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27631.3.2 Large Refractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27731.3.3 1m Reflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27831.3.4 Lippert Astrograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

31.4 Additional Telescopes in Bergedorf before 1945 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28031.4.1 AG Astrograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28031.4.2 Original Schmidt Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28031.4.3 Double Reflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

31.5 New Telescopes at Bergedorf after 1945 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28131.5.1 Large Schmidt Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28131.5.2 Salvador Reflector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28131.5.3 Zonenastrograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28131.5.4 Oskar-Lühning Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28231.5.5 Hamburg Robotic Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

31.6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

32 Large Devices of Industrial Culture: the Preservation of their Historical EvidenceRuth Keller-Kempas (Berlin, Germany) 28532.1 Observatories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28532.2 Preservation of Material Heritage of Industrial Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28632.3 Documentation and Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28832.4 Practical Conservation and Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

33 The 1m-Reflector of the Hamburg Observatory: an Object of Technical Heritage – a Preservation ConceptBeatrix Alscher (Berlin, Germany) 29333.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29333.2 The Conservation Challenge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

33.2.1 The Condition of the Instrument – the Coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29533.2.2 The Current Climate Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

33.3 The Preservation Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29533.3.1 Dehumidification of the Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29533.3.2 Traces of Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29633.3.3 Maintaining its Functionality? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29733.3.4 The Concept of Handling the Paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

33.4 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30033.5 Important Persons and Companies Explained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

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33.6 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

34 Real and Virtual Heritage – Historical Astronomical Plate Archives in Sonneberg, Bamberg and HamburgObservatories, the Evolution of Astrophysics and their Influence on Human Knowledge and CultureBjörn Kunzmann (Hamburg, Germany) 30534.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30534.2 Real and Virtual Heritage – Historical plate archives in observatories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

34.2.1 Sonneberg Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30734.2.2 Bamberg Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30734.2.3 Hamburg Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

34.3 Virtual Heritage – concluding remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30734.4 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

35 Real and Virtual Heritage – The Plate Archive of Sonneberg Observatory – Digitisation, Preservation andScientific ProgrammePeter Kroll (Sonneberg, Germany) 31135.1 Brief History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31135.2 The Real Heritage of Sonneberg Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

35.2.1 Observatory Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31135.2.2 Astronomical Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31235.2.3 Plate Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31235.2.4 Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

35.3 The Virtual Heritage of Sonneberg Observatory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31335.3.1 Log-book Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31335.3.2 Digital Plate Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

35.4 Utilizing the Virtual Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31535.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

36 Faszination Astronomie – Die letzten zwei JahrhunderteRudolf Kippenhahn (Göttingen, Germany) 317

37 Geschichte und Zukunft der Hamburger SternwarteDieter Reimers (Hamburg, Germany) 31937.1 Was waren nun die Aufgaben der Sternwarte? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32037.2 Zukunft der Sternwarte? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

38 The Hamburg Observatory – A Cultural Monument of National and International ImportanceAgnes Seemann (Hamburg, Germany) 32738.1 German version: Die Hamburger Sternwarte – Ein Kulturdenkmal von nationaler und internationaler

Bedeutung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

39 Restoration Activities of the Observatory Buildings – Past and FutureGudrun Wolfschmidt and Henry Schlepegrell (Hamburg, Germany) 33339.1 Restoration Work on the Initiative of the Förderverein Hamburger Sternwarte e. V. . . . . . . . . . . 33339.2 Restoration of the One-Metre Reflector Telescope Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33339.3 Restoration of the Meridian Circle Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33439.4 Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

40 Summary and Results: Cultural Heritage of Astronomical ObservatoriesGudrun Wolfschmidt and Frank Pieter Hesse (Hamburg, Germany) 339

41 Programme of the Symposium:Cultural Heritage of Observatories Gudrun Wolfschmidt 343Scientific Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343Funding for the Symposium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Authors 353

List of Figures 363

Index 369

11

Kodaikanal

12 Observatories12 Observatories

Paris

Hamburg

Tartu

Greenwich

St. PetersburgSt. Petersburg

Lissabon

Washington D.C.

La Plata

Nizza

AlgierAlgier

Rio de Janeiro

Figure 40.1: 12 observatories aiming for a serial trans-national application for inscription in the UNESCO WorldHeritage List

338

40. Summary and ResultsCultural Heritage of Astronomical ObservatoriesFrom Classical Astronomy to Modern Astrophysics

Gudrun Wolfschmidt and Frank Pieter Hesse (Hamburg, Germany)

On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Ham-burg Observatory as a State institute the internationalICOMOS symposium “Cultural Heritage: AstronomicalObservatories (around 1900) – From Classical Astron-omy to Modern Astrophysics” was held from 15 to 17October 2008 in Hamburg-Bergedorf in the Haus imPark of the Körber Foundation and inside the Obser-vatory itself. The symposium was organised by theInstitute for the History of Science at the University ofHamburg, by the Conservation Department Hamburgas well as by ICOMOS Germany, with support fromthe University of Hamburg, the Senatskanzlei Hamburg,the Bezirksamt Bergedorf, the Buhck Foundation, theKörber Foundation, and the Bergedorfer Zeitung. Itwas prepared and chaired by Prof. Dr. Gudrun Wolf-schmidt (University of Hamburg / Institute for Historyof Science).

The objective of the symposium was to discuss the rel-evance of modern observatories for the cultural heritageof humankind and to win partner observatories, whichdue to the time of their erection or to their architecturalor scientific importance are comparable to the HamburgObservatory, as international cooperation partners for aserial trans-national application. Such a trans-nationalserial application corresponds to the “global strategy fora credible, representative and balanced World HeritageList” as has been pursued since 1994 by the World Her-itage Centre (WHC) and the World Heritage Committeeof UNESCO in order to fill existing regional, geograph-ical and thematic gaps, as defined in 2004 by ICOMOSInternational with its action plan “Filling the Gaps”.

For Hamburg the symposium was the start of the“International Year of Astronomy 2009”, which was de-cided by the General Assembly of the United Nationsin 2007. The conference was carried out in accordancewith the initiative of the World Heritage Centre (WHC)of UNESCO, which since the 32nd session of the WorldHeritage Committee in 2004 has been attending to thetopic “Astronomy and World Heritage”. The person re-sponsible for this initiative in the WHC was invited tothe conference; as she could not attend her contributionwas read out.

The following representatives either attended the sci-entific conference (introducing observatories or othertopics) or provided an abstract for the booklet:

Argentina: Sofia A. Cora, Dr. Juan Carlos Forte (LaPlata Astronomic Observatory)

Austria: Dr. Anneliese Schnell (University Observa-tory of Vienna)

Brasil: Prof. Dr. Marcus Granato (Polytechnic Ob-servatory Rio de Janeiro/Museu de Astronomia eCiências afins)

Czech Republic: Prof. Dr. Martin Šolc (Observatoriesof Prague and Ondrejov)

England: Dr. Gloria Clifton, London (Royal Observa-tory Greenwich, London)

Estonia: Reet Mägi (Tartu, Old Observatory)France: Dr. Suzanne Débarbat (Observatory of Paris

and Meudon), Dr. Françoise Le Guet Tully, Nice,and Dr. Hamid Sadsaoud, Algiers (Observatory ofNice, Observatory of Algiers), Dr. James Caplan(Observatory of Marseille), Dr. Jean Davoigneau,Paris (University Observatory of Strassburg), Dr.Christophe Benoist (University Observatory ofKandili in Istanbul/Turkey)

Germany: Prof. Dr. Gudrun Wolfschmidt (devel-opment of astrophysics in international compar-ison), Dr. Matthias Hünsch and Henry Schlepe-grell (Hamburg Observatory), Dipl.-Phys. BjörnKunzmann and Dr. Peter Kroll (Observatories inSonneberg, Bamberg and Hamburg), Prof. Dr.Ruth Keller-Kempas and Beatrix Alscher, FHTWBerlin (restoration), Dr. Peter Müller, Cologne(observatory architecture compared internation-ally), Frank P. Hesse, Dr. Agnes Seemann, Con-servation Department Hamburg, Ilka von Bodun-gen, Authority for culture, sports and the media,Hamburg, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kippenhahn, Göt-tingen, and Prof. Dr. Dieter Reimers (HamburgObservatory)

Hungary: Prof. Dr. Lajos G. Balász and MagdaVargha (Konkoly Observatory, Budapest)

339

India: Dr. Shylaja B.S., Bangalore (Kodaikanal So-lar Observatory of the Indian Institute of Astro-physics, Kodaikanal and other Indian Observato-ries around 1900)

Italy: Dr. Ileana Chinnici, INAF Palermo (various ob-servatories and collections of instruments in Italy)Dr. Paolo Brenni, Florence (scientific instrumentson observatories)

Portugal: Pedro Raposo, Oxford (Observatório As-tronómico de Lisboa)

Romania: Prof. Dr. Magda Stavinschi, CÆtÆlinMosoia (Bucharest Observatory)

Russia: Prof. Dr. Viktor Abalakin (Nikolas Cen-tral Astronomical Observatoy Pulkovo, St. Peters-burg)

Turkey: Gaye Danisan and Füsun Limboz (Observato-ries of Istanbul)

Venezuela: Pedro Chalbaud Cardona (Observatory ofCagigal – a copy of Hamburg)

USA: Dr. Brian D. Mason (US Naval Observa-tory/USNO, Washington)

Furthermore, lectures were given by Prof. Dr. RajeshKochhar, Chandighar/India, Org Secy IAU Commission41 “History of Astronomy” and Prof. Dr. Michael Petzet,Munich, ICOMOS. In addition other guests from Ger-many participated as well. Dr. Inga Elmqvist Söder-lund, Sweden, and Dr. Vidar Enebakk, Oslo, Norwaytook part as chairpersons.The conference was extremely fruitful, especially with

regard to the information and findings on the historyof the observatories presented and in combination withtheir individual equipment and the persons decisive forthe development of astronomical science and instru-ments. Although many papers dealt with the buildinghistory and architectural features of the observatories, adetailed description of the buildings and an analysis oftheir architectural relevance and urbanistic disposition,as well as an evaluation of the inherent artistic andaesthetic values of the various observatories remain adesideratum. At similar or thematically more focussedmeetings these aspects should be followed up. However,it needs to be emphasised that several papers addressedthe conservation of the buildings and instruments eitherwith the observatory still in regular use or with it beingused as a museum or for continuing education. A com-parative survey on the architecture of the observatoriesaround 1900 was given by Dr. Peter Müller as a possiblebasis for a “comparative study”, as needs to be providedfor a World Heritage application.It also became clear that the urbanistic complex,

the buildings and their architecture, the quality of in-struments, the scientific archives (collections of pho-tographic plates, chronicles, observation books, corre-spondence, star catalogues, etc) as well as the scien-tific/intellectual achievements, inventions and discover-ies made by the persons related to the individual ob-servatory are all to be understood as categories of the

cultural heritage (also in terms of scientific heritage).This corresponds to the four main categories accordingto which the “outstanding universal value” of the obser-vatories will have to be evaluated: historic, scientific,and aesthetic. Explicit reference is made to the “Oper-ational Guidelines” of the WHC , where under section77 the criteria for the “outstanding universal value” arenamed and according to which criteria ii, iv and vi arerelevant:The Committee considers a property as having out-

standing universal value (see paragraphs 49–53) if theproperty meets one or more of the following criteria.Nominated properties shall therefore:

ii. exhibit an important interchange of human values,over a span of time or within a cultural area of theworld, on developments in architecture or technol-ogy, monumental arts, town-planning or landscapedesign;

iv. be an outstanding example of a type of building, ar-chitectural or technological ensemble or landscapewhich illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in humanhistory;

vi. be directly or tangibly associated with events orliving traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, withartistic and literary works of outstanding universalsignificance. (The Committee considers that thiscriterion should preferably be used in conjunctionwith other criteria).

After consultation between the representatives ofICOMOS, the Conservation Dept. of Hamburg and theUniversity of Hamburg / Institute for the History ofScience it was proposed to invite 11 additional observa-tories for a serial trans-national application for inscrip-tion in the World Heritage List. This first proposal isbased on the criteria of a comparability of the presentedobservatories in terms of the urbanistic complex andthe architecture, the scientific orientation, equipment ofinstruments, authenticity and integrity of the preservedstate, as well as in terms of historic scientific relationsand the historic relevance of the persons who worked atthe observatories. A significant fact was also that amongthese observatories there were some which are parts ofan already existingWorld Heritage site, but which wouldnonetheless be of advantage in the separate nominationprocess for a series of observatories as World Heritage.The following observatories were recommended:

Algeria: Observatoire d’Alger

Argentina: La Plata Astronomic Observatory (pro-posed to lead this application)

Brasil: Polytechnic Observatory Rio de Janeiro/Museude Astronomia e Ciências afins)

England: Royal Observatory Greenwich (component ofWH 795 “Maritime Greenwich”)

Estonia: Tartu, Old Observatory (component of WH1187 “Struve Geodetic Arc”)

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France: Observatoire Paris-Meudon, Observatoire dela Côte d’Azur, Nice

India: Kodaikanal Observatory of the Indian Instituteof Astrophysics

Portugal: Observatório Astronómico de LisboaRussia: Nikolas Central Astronomical Observatory

Pulkovo, St. Petersburg (component of WH 540“Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and RelatedGroups of Monuments”

USA: US Naval Observatory (USNO), WashingtonD.C.

It became clear that endeavours to nominate theseabove-listed “observatories around 1900” need to becombined with the UNESCO initiative “Astronomy andWorld Heritage”. This initiative is meant to be managedby an international steering committee made up of theNational Focal Points and other protagonists. There-fore, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has asked foran up-to-date list of national focal points referring tothis initiative. The World Heritage Centre has alreadytaken note of this conference.Hence, it was suggested that Prof. Dr. Gudrun Wolf-

schmidt (University of Hamburg, Institute for Historyof Science) chairs a national focal point in Hamburg (asfar as Hamburg is concerned together with the Conser-vation Department Hamburg). In correspondence withthe UNESCO initiative the focal point will not be ableto focus exclusively on “observatories around 1900”. In-stead it will have to look at the entire spectrum of his-toric institutions of astronomical research in Germany.The compilation of a well-founded survey of such siteson the national level is the indispensable preconditionfor a promising justification of the application. Forthis compilation Hamburg offers excellent conditions.Therefore, it would be necessary that the University ofHamburg, the authority for science and research or theauthority for culture, sports and the media respectivelyprovide the accordant resources. This would increasethe chances for a successful application of the HamburgObservatory together with other observatories.

The participants of the conference belonging to therecommended observatories were asked to confer withtheir local authorities, especially with the institutionalsponsors and the responsible conservation authorities aswell as with their national committees of ICOMOS, andto get acquainted with the “Operational Guidelines” ofthe WHC. They were invited to report on the stepstaken by their institutions and authorities.It is planned to intensify the network of observatories,

institutions and authorities set up at the conference andto consult the national committees of ICOMOS. Prof.Petzet also pointed out that the topic of the next “In-ternational Day for Monuments and Sites” on 18 April2009, “Science Heritage”, could and should be used formore activities at the observatories.At present, for Hamburg the first priority will be to

install a national focal point for the initiative “Astron-omy and World Heritage” at the University of Ham-burg / Institute of the History of Natural Sciences. Forthis purpose, the necessary resources need to be madeavailable and ICOMOS Germany and the Germany UN-ESCO Commission need to be consulted. The Ham-burg Conservation Department will give an account ofthese activities at the next meeting of the heads of theFederal Conservation Departments at the beginning ofDecember and suggest a cooperation via the EuropeanHeritage Heads Forum (EHHF).We wish to thank all organisers, lecturers, partici-

pants, supporters and helpers in the background formaking this such a fruitful and unobstructed conference.Hamburg, October 18, 2008

Frank Pieter HesseHamburg Conservation Department

Gudrun WolfschmidtInstitute for History of Science, University of Hamburg

http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/\\ign/events/icomos08.htm

Figure 40.2: End of the ICOMOS Symposium (Photo: Yang-Hyun Choi)

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