Frederiksoord has an observatory. The stuff is in and the equipment is almost adjusted; according to initiators, the first agreements can be made.
It is a striking object: a white igloo-shaped dome in the middle of the complex of the former horticultural school in Frederiksoord. The Royal van Swieten Observatory, as it is jokingly called, is an idea of Frans van der Graaf. “Take that Royal off. That sounds way too dignified,” he laughs.
Van der Graaf moved to Drenthe a few years ago and until recently ran a B&B in the old bakery. The world of the stars is not new to him. For 30 years, matter has made his heart beat faster. He was also founder of the Mercury Observatory in Dordrecht.
No 13,000 visitors
“This is purely a private initiative born from my hobby that I have been practicing for 30 years. The observatory in Dordrecht attracted 13,000 visitors a year, we are not going to achieve that here. If only because you do not have the space for it have.”
In the star dome is a viewer that is controlled by a computer. “There are 42,000 objects stored in the computer,” explains Van der Graaf. “I can show them at will, but the most beautiful objects are the sun, the moon, the planets and some galaxies. As long as you have an explanation of what you are looking at.”