FIRST Observatory of Würzburg University - Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
Posted by: 
linkys
N 49° 47.432 E 009° 55.929
32U E 567093 N 5515758
In the past the tower of this historic university church was used as an observatory.
Waymark Code: WMHJ9N
Location: Bayern, Germany
Date Posted: 07/15/2013
Views: 8
Construction began on this church in 1582 and continued for decades, which also involved reconstructing sections that had been initially constructed too hastily. The church formed part of the large square of buildings that comprised Würzburg University. The tower, the tallest spire in Würzburg at 91 meters, housed the university observatory. It was designed and built in 1696 by Antonio Petrini. In 1757 an observatory was set up in the tower. From the tower, the famous June 6, 1761 transition of the sun by Venus was watched by Franz Huberti.
A plaque on the church reads:
The first observatory
of the University of Würzburg
In the year 1757 Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich Seinsheim donated the first observatory
to the University of Würzburg , which was established in the tower of the church.
In charge of the observatory was Franz Huberti, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy.
On June 6, 1761 he had the observatory ready to observe the transit of Venus. Hence he
contributed to the internationally organized project of Royal Astronomer Edmund Halley
to observe this rare event. Due to secularization at the beginning of the 19th century
the equipment of the observatory was lost. A new era began in 1907, when the Professor
of Mathematics, George Rust, was appointed to the position of astronomical observer
at the institution. Under his leadership the observatory was modernized. This formed
the basis for scientific observations of celestial objects, especially for determining the
orbits of planetoids and comets. His successor as Professor Mathematics and Astronomy,
Otto People, continued the determination of orbits in connection with his scientific work
on celestial mechanics up to the destruction of the observatory on March 16, 1945.
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