Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium

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Along a beautiful canal in the city of Franeker, stands the 18th-century home of wool comber Eise Eisinga. The living room is home to one of the greatest treasures in world history: the oldest still-working planetarium in the world.

The End of the World

In 1774, Eelco Alta, a Frisian minister, cause a wave of panic to go through the Netherlands. He predicted that, on May 8 of that year, a number of planets would come so closely together that the earth would escape from its orbit and would be burned by the sun. Eise Eisinga had mastered mathematics and astronomy in addition to combing wool. To reassure the Frisian people and to prove Alta was wrong, Eisinga decided to build a planetarium in his living room.

Marvelous Ceiling

Visit Eisinga's life work on the ceiling of his living room. See how the planets and the sun make their actual orbit through an ingenious system of clocks and gears. Just like in the solar system, Saturn takes thirty years to orbit the Sun on the ceiling in Franeker.

Practical Information

opening hours

2 Jan 2011 - 31 Mar 2011	Sun	13:00 - 17:00
	Tue - Sat	10:00 - 17:00
1 Apr 2011 - 31 Oct 2011	Tue - Sat	10:00 - 17:00
	Mon, Sun	13:00 - 17:00
1 Nov 2011 - 31 Dec 2011	Tue - Sat	10:00 - 17:00
	Sun	13:00 - 17:00

Prices

2011

seniors	€ 4 , 00
groups of adults minimum group size: 20 persons	€ 3 , 50
children minimum group size: 20 persons	free of charge
children from: 5 year	€ 3 , 75
adults from: 5 year	€ 4 , 50