Galileum Solingen, Astronomical observatory and planetarium in Solingen, Germany
Galileum Solingen combines an observatory with modern telescopes and a planetarium housed under a 12-meter dome. Inside the planetarium, a GOTO Chronos II Hybrid projector displays the universe in realistic detail.
The Solingen observatory association planned a new planetarium from 2004, naming it after Galileo Galilei. After a site in the Südpark failed for lack of funding, the city's disused spherical gas holder on Tunnelstraße in Ohligs, built in 1956/57 with a 26-metre diameter, was chosen. A Europe-wide architects' competition in 2010/11 was won by mvmarchitekt & starkearchitektur of Cologne; the planetarium opened on 5 July 2019.
The name Galileum refers to Galileo Galilei, the first to observe the sky with a telescope. Since June 2014 the cabaret artist and science presenter Vince Ebert has been the facility's patron. The Walter-Horn-Gesellschaft, which also runs the Solingen observatory, conceived and built the project, and the planetarium is meant as a meeting and event venue for Ohligs residents.
The observatory requires clear skies for viewing through telescopes, whereas the planetarium can operate any day regardless of weather. It helps to check weather conditions beforehand if telescope observation matters to your visit.
The gas holder that houses the planetarium is 26 metres in diameter and held 64,000 cubic metres of gas when built in 1956/57. It was saved from demolition in autumn 2010 when the Solingen municipal utility agreed to spare it for the project.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,628 contributors worldwide.
