A Quick Look at the Cosmos: The Giant Telescope in Treptow

At the Zeiss Großplanetarium in Prenzlauer Berg and the Archenhold Observatory in Treptower Park, a diverse program of short presentations and stargazing sessions awaits you.

Tickets for the Archenhold Observatory are available on-site; events at the Zeiss Grand Planetarium can also be booked online in advance.

Guided Tour “The Treptow Giant Telescope”

The Treptow Giant Telescope is the hallmark of the Archenhold Observatory. It was built in 1896 for the Berlin Trade Exhibition and, with a focal length of 21 meters and a lens diameter of 680 millimeters, is the longest fully movable refracting telescope on Earth. This colossus, popularly known as the “Sky Cannon,” weighs a total of 130 tons and ranks among the ten most powerful refracting telescopes in the world.

The tour explains how the telescope and observatory came to be built, and you’ll learn about the building’s eventful history. Afterward, we’ll demonstrate how the impressive telescope works using a movable model in the observatory’s exhibition.