By Oliver Ohmann
The planetarium at the Insulaner is a child of the 1960s. The facility is now being modernized and converted into an educational center of the future.
Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (40, CDU) and Tim Florian Horn (41) presented the plans for the planetarium on Monday.
Horn has headed the Planetarium Foundation since 2016 and brought many ideas to the project. “The building was erected in 1965 and is a listed building. We want to clean everything a bit from the cosmic dust and make sure that you can spend a whole day with us and do astronomy.”
The planetarium opened in 1965, and since then almost every school child has visited it once or more Photo: Stiftung Planetarium Berlin
The Senator for Education emphasized that the planetarium has over 400,000 visitors every year. Günther-Wünsch: “It’s a real success story that should give even more air to knowledge, understanding and discoveries in the future.“
The conversion is expected to cost 12.6 million euros. The building will be energetically refurbished, the projection dome renewed and new seating for 240 people. 4.5 million euros alone are invested in the latest technology. A new star projector is purchased, with fulldome technology and LED projectors. For this purpose, “Cosmos Laboratories” are created in which schoolgirls can develop their own content for projection on the dome.
This draft is to be implemented between autumn 2023 and 2026. The planetarium at the Insulaner is to become a “cosmic place of learning” for young and old Photo: SPB
Before the closure there will be a big farewell party on July 8th. During a Long Night at the Insulaner, the old projector once again shows what it can do (from 5 p.m., free entry).
The renovation will then begin in October, and the comeback of the planetarium is planned for 2026. The observatory at the Insulaner will remain in operation as usual during the construction work and of course the Zeiss Planetarium in Prenzlauer Berg will remain open for star fans.