On June 10th the planetarium celebrated in the presence of Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig celebrates his 60th anniversary at the Vienna Prater.
Vienna (OTS) – The Vienna Adult Education Center Planetarium is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Since its opening on June 20, 1964, it has played an important role in the transfer of knowledge in Vienna and is one of the most modern planetariums in Europe. Over the decades, countless visitors have traveled into the fascinating world of astronomy: lectures and events take old and young into the infinite expanses of the cosmos and not only awaken interest in astronomy, but also make science easily accessible to the Viennese population. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology and lovingly designed shows, the Vienna Planetarium is a crowd puller then and now.
Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig: “The starry sky has always fascinated people and inspired scientific research and knowledge. The Vienna Planetarium as a window to the universe has offered a permanent place of inspiration, exchange and learning in our city for six decades.”
“The Viennese adult education centers are committed to the goal of making scientific education and lifelong learning accessible to everyone. The Planetarium Vienna, as a specialized facility of the Vienna adult education centers, has always made a decisive contribution to achieving this goal. Whether schoolchildren, students, adults or seniors – the planetarium opens the gates to the universe for all age groups, broadens horizons and brings many aha experiences,” says Herbert Schweiger, Managing Director of the Vienna Adult Education Center.
Eventful history and modern innovation
The Vienna Prater was not the first location of a planetarium in Austria’s capital. The very first Vienna planetarium was opened on May 7, 1927 in front of today’s Museum Quarter for the exhibition “Vienna and the Viennese” and housed the world’s second star projector from Carl Zeiss, after the first of its type had been installed in Munich three years earlier. On January 8, 1930, the Vienna Planetarium at Praterstern reopened, where it existed until mid-March 1945, but ultimately had to be closed.
Almost twenty years passed until the then mayor of Vienna, Franz Jonas, laid the foundation stone for the new planetarium on June 16, 1962. The new location was next to the famous Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel in the entrance area of the Prater. After two years of construction, the planetarium opened in June 1964.
In the summer of 2000, the entire dome technology was comprehensively modernized and the dome hall was redesigned. Since autumn 2002, the Vienna Planetarium has had the Universarium (Model IX) from Carl Zeiss Jena, which is currently the most modern star projector in the world. A recent upgrade to LED lighting means the stars and planets sparkle even more brilliantly while using less energy. The star projector displays the “normal” starry sky in a razor-sharp, brilliant and lifelike manner and regularly amazes the audience.
Since 2018, a state-of-the-art fulldome projection system from Zeiss has been providing visitors with razor-sharp images in the highest resolution. With the combination of the optomechanical starry sky and digital video projection, visitors are taken on breathtaking journeys through the vastness of space.
In 2023, the projection system was expanded with the “Zeiss UNIVIEW” visualization software, which represents a milestone for both event operations and in-house show production. Zeiss UNIVIEW allows real-time access to extensive scientific data from astronomy, astrophysics and geophysics and offers clear and impressive displays. It allows you to interactively move around the entire universe together with the audience, walk across the moon or travel through the solar system.
The preservation and modernization of the devices is central to the transfer of knowledge in order to offer visitors an impressive and immersive experience. From early star projections to cutting-edge digital shows, the Planetarium has always leveraged advances in technology to make the wonders of the universe accessible.
Shows with cult status and innovative new formats
“With state-of-the-art technology and our live shows, we can convey astronomy and science in a clear, entertaining and understandable way and thus awaken visitors’ desire for scientific discussion,” says Michael Feuchtinger, director of the astronomical facilities at the VHS (Planetarium, Urania – and Kuffner Observatory).
The planetarium’s standard astronomical portfolio consists largely of live, moderated in-house productions in which astronomical and scientific knowledge is conveyed, suitable for every age group. Shows like Yanni, the stars and the cheese moon, Mission into space or Space4Kids have almost cult status among the youngest astronomers. But also for adults Hidden Stars, Deep Sky or Hubble.Space.Telescope Exciting insights into sub-areas of astronomy and cosmology. This standard program has recently been expanded with the highly successful reintroduction of the format A journey through the nightin which director Michael Feuchtinger offers fascinating monthly insights into current astronomical topics and fundamentals.
The astronomical program is supplemented by new formats such as night.sky.music or Planetarium in Concertin which the balancing act between imparting astronomical knowledge and musical entertainment in classical and modern styles is successfully achieved.
In 2023, the Vienna Planetarium set a new record with over 100,000 visitors, and a no less successful start to the anniversary year of 2024 provides a positive outlook for the future.
“We are very pleased that with our shows we not only make the stars sparkle in the planetarium dome, but also make the visitors’ eyes light up as they embark on their journey into the universe,” says Michael Feuchtinger.
More information and the entire program can be found at: www.vhs.at/planetarium.
Press photos will be available shortly www.vhs.at/presse.
Questions & Contact:
Nadja Pospisil, M.Sc
Media spokesperson
Vienna adult education centers
Tel.: 01/89 174-100 105
Mobil: 0699 189 177 58
E-Mail: nadja.pospisil@vhs.at