Travelling the world in 12 minutesThe great Gottorf Globe in Schleswig
Gottorf Globe
The Gottorf Globe in the Friedrichsburg
In the 17th century, during the reign of Duke Frederick III, Gottorf Castle experienced a scientific and cultural golden age. The Gottorf Globe , designed from 1650 onwards by Adam Olearius and constructed by Andreas Bosch upon the Duke’s command, is eloquent testimony to that time.
This marvel of the engineer’s and cartographer’s art depicted the surface of the Earth on its exterior surface, and contained the world’s first planetarium inside. It was displayed in the Neuwerk Garden’s Friedrichsburg, where it remained until the defeat of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp in the Great Northern War between Scandinavia and Russia in 1713.
Today, you can find a three metre high replica of the Gottorf Globe inside the Globushaus in Schleswig's baroque garden which has been painstakingly modelled in its structure, painting, and function on that of Duke Frederick III. In it, visitors can embark on their own astronomical voyages of discovery – a trip around the world in 12 minutes.
A circular wooden bench inside the globe holds enough space for 12 people. You travel through a sky of fixed stars and the signs of zodiac.
Stellar constellations with Latin names, as their origin lies in antiquity, have already mesmerised people back then with its stories.