Eisinga Planetarium, Franeker, Netherlands

The Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium is an 18th-century orrery in Franeker. It is currently a museum and open to the public. The orrery has been on the top 100 Dutch heritage sites list since 1990 and nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site candidate based on its long history as a working planetarium open to the public and its continued efforts to preserve its heritage.

The orrery was built from 1774 to 1781 by Eise Eisinga. An orrery is a planetarium, a working model of the solar system. The 'face' of the model looks down from the ceiling of what used to be his living room, with most of the mechanical works in the space above the ceiling. It is driven by a pendulum clock, which has 9 weights or ponds. The planets move around the model in real time, automatically. The planetarium includes a display for the current time and date. The plank that has the year numbers written on it has to be replaced every 22 years.

The Eise Eisinga Planetarium is the oldest still working planetarium in the world. To create the gears for the model, 10,000 handmade nails were used. In addition to the basic orrery, there are displays of the phase of the moon and other astronomical phenomena. The orrery was constructed to a scale of 1:1,000,000,000,000 (1 millimetre: 1 million kilometres).

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Miscellaneous historic sites in Netherlands

User Reviews

michel vanwoudenberg (6 months ago)
Super interesting and authentic and not overrun (yet) despite being a Unesco site. Love the live 'demo' in the main room and the ability to check out the mechanism between the floors after. Incredible this is all still intact

Heather Young (10 months ago)
This is an amazing visit for anyone with an interest in science or history. I was fascinated by the personal stories not just of Eise Eisinga, but of other local folk who applied their craftsmanship to creating beautiful astronomical instruments and who, with limited education, made significant contributions to math and astronomy. Franeker itself is pretty amazing. It used to be Holland's 2nd most important university town - so the local amateurs were working directly with professors - and the town has labeled many buildings with QR codes, allowing you to hear historical details. The planetarium museum is housed in 3 historic houses and includes details of family life and Eisinga's wool combing business. Well worth a day trip!

Benjamin Zandstra (11 months ago)
Today I visited the Eise Eisinga Planetarium. As someone who loves astronomy, this is the kind of place I most enjoy going to. I find it fascinating to learn how someone in the 18th century built a complete model of the solar energy in his living room. I didn't even know it was the oldest planetarium in the world . There are also some other ancient relics on display in the museum. I highly recommend visiting the place, especially if you are into astronomy.

I K (12 months ago)
More to see than just the planetarium and its mechanism, there are sections about the universe, telescopes, Eise, his personal belongings, and his contemporaries. Everything described in English and Dutch, a tour of the planetarium included. Very worth coming to Franeker for!

Natina Harris (2 years ago)
In the historical town of Franeker, I walked down the streets, and it felt like I was in a sweet dream or a storybook. It's so beautiful, charming, and did I tell you that it's home to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Eisinga Planetarium, the World's Oldest Operating Planetarium! It is worth every kilometer traveled from the States! Visit the Netherlands ????❤️

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