Category of Astronomical Heritage: tangible immovable
Copernicus observing site in Frauenburg / Frombork, Poland
Format: IAU - Outstanding Astronomical Heritage
Description
Geographical position
Copernicus observing site (Cathedral and Copernicus Tower), ul. Katedralna 8, 14-530 Frombork (Frauenburg), Poland
Location
Latitude 54.356765° N, Longitude 19.680879° E, Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. View of the old town of Frombork/Frauenburg from the Vistula Lagoon (CC3, Polimerek)
Frauenburg/Frombork on the eastern shore of the Vistula Lagoon, founded in 1287, was the seat of the Warmian cathedral chapter since 1282. The Gothic Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew is a landmark on the Cathedral Hill.
Fig. 2. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Agnieszka Kaczmarek)
Nicolaus Copernicus was Canon 1497, Capitular 1512 to 1516, and stayed since 1517 in Frombork / Frauenburg. Copernicus had different functions in the Warmia Cathedral Chapter: Chancellor and visitor of the Chapter’s property, Commissioner of Warmia, general administrator of the bishopric (1510 to 1543).
%Battles between Teutonic Knights and the King of Poland
In Frombork, Copernicus wrote the main part of his opus magnum De revolutionibuss orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), printed in 1543 in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius.
Fig. 3a. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Holger Weinandt)
Fig. 3b. Frombork/Frauenburg (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684)
Fig. 3c. Copernicus study in Frombork/Frauenburg
Fig. 3d. Copernicus Tower in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Julian Nyca)
A Copernicus statue was erected by the "Society of Warmia and Masury", mid-1950s, replacing an older statue, erected by Emperor Wilhelm II .
Fig. 4a. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Mazury.Travel)
Fig. 4b. Nicolaus Copernicus (Portrait by Karol Hemmerlein)
The fortified church with parapet walk offered place for astronomical observations with moveable instruments.
![Copernicus’s]()
Con" src="/images/astronomicalheritage.net/gallery/ahp_entities/entity000255/Jan-Matejko-Astronomer-Copernicus-Conversation-with-God.jpg">
Fig. 5a. Copernicus’s "Observatory" in Frombork -- Conversation with God (painting by Jan Matejko)
Fig. 5b. Armillary Sphere (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5c. Quadrant (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5d. Triquetrum (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
The Copernicus Tower, part of the Cathedral complex, is a site, where Copernicus may have done his observations and research.
Instruments
- Replicas of Copernicus instruments: Armillary Sphere, large Quadrant, Triquetrum.
In the former Bishop’s Palace (Ferber Palace) is today a Copernicus Museum. In the Holy Spirit Hospital, where Copernicus was active as physician, the Medical History Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is presented.
Fig. 6a. Copernicus Exhibition in the former Bishop’s Palace
Fig. 6b. Replicas of Copernicus’ instruments in the Museum
In the Cathedral, there is the Epitaph, tombstone at the altar of the Holy Cross, and the Grave of Copernicus.
Fig. 7a. Epitaph of Nicolaus Copernicus
Fig. 7b. Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7c. Tombstone of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7d. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
History
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
Copernicus observing site (Cathedral and Copernicus Tower), ul. Katedralna 8, 14-530 Frombork (Frauenburg), Poland
Location
Latitude 54.356765° N, Longitude 19.680879° E, Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. View of the old town of Frombork/Frauenburg from the Vistula Lagoon (CC3, Polimerek)
Frauenburg/Frombork on the eastern shore of the Vistula Lagoon, founded in 1287, was the seat of the Warmian cathedral chapter since 1282. The Gothic Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew is a landmark on the Cathedral Hill.
Fig. 2. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Agnieszka Kaczmarek)
Nicolaus Copernicus was Canon 1497, Capitular 1512 to 1516, and stayed since 1517 in Frombork / Frauenburg. Copernicus had different functions in the Warmia Cathedral Chapter: Chancellor and visitor of the Chapter’s property, Commissioner of Warmia, general administrator of the bishopric (1510 to 1543).
%Battles between Teutonic Knights and the King of Poland
In Frombork, Copernicus wrote the main part of his opus magnum De revolutionibuss orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), printed in 1543 in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius.
Fig. 3a. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Holger Weinandt)
Fig. 3b. Frombork/Frauenburg (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684)
Fig. 3c. Copernicus study in Frombork/Frauenburg
Fig. 3d. Copernicus Tower in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Julian Nyca)
A Copernicus statue was erected by the "Society of Warmia and Masury", mid-1950s, replacing an older statue, erected by Emperor Wilhelm II .
Fig. 4a. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Mazury.Travel)
Fig. 4b. Nicolaus Copernicus (Portrait by Karol Hemmerlein)
The fortified church with parapet walk offered place for astronomical observations with moveable instruments.
![Copernicus’s]()
Con" src="/images/astronomicalheritage.net/gallery/ahp_entities/entity000255/Jan-Matejko-Astronomer-Copernicus-Conversation-with-God.jpg">
Fig. 5a. Copernicus’s "Observatory" in Frombork -- Conversation with God (painting by Jan Matejko)
Fig. 5b. Armillary Sphere (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5c. Quadrant (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5d. Triquetrum (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
The Copernicus Tower, part of the Cathedral complex, is a site, where Copernicus may have done his observations and research.
Instruments
- Replicas of Copernicus instruments: Armillary Sphere, large Quadrant, Triquetrum.
In the former Bishop’s Palace (Ferber Palace) is today a Copernicus Museum. In the Holy Spirit Hospital, where Copernicus was active as physician, the Medical History Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is presented.
Fig. 6a. Copernicus Exhibition in the former Bishop’s Palace
Fig. 6b. Replicas of Copernicus’ instruments in the Museum
In the Cathedral, there is the Epitaph, tombstone at the altar of the Holy Cross, and the Grave of Copernicus.
Fig. 7a. Epitaph of Nicolaus Copernicus
Fig. 7b. Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7c. Tombstone of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7d. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
History
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
Latitude 54.356765° N, Longitude 19.680879° E, Elevation ...m above mean sea level.
IAU observatory code
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. View of the old town of Frombork/Frauenburg from the Vistula Lagoon (CC3, Polimerek)
Frauenburg/Frombork on the eastern shore of the Vistula Lagoon, founded in 1287, was the seat of the Warmian cathedral chapter since 1282. The Gothic Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew is a landmark on the Cathedral Hill.
Fig. 2. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Agnieszka Kaczmarek)
Nicolaus Copernicus was Canon 1497, Capitular 1512 to 1516, and stayed since 1517 in Frombork / Frauenburg. Copernicus had different functions in the Warmia Cathedral Chapter: Chancellor and visitor of the Chapter’s property, Commissioner of Warmia, general administrator of the bishopric (1510 to 1543).
%Battles between Teutonic Knights and the King of Poland
In Frombork, Copernicus wrote the main part of his opus magnum De revolutionibuss orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), printed in 1543 in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius.
Fig. 3a. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Holger Weinandt)
Fig. 3b. Frombork/Frauenburg (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684)
Fig. 3c. Copernicus study in Frombork/Frauenburg
Fig. 3d. Copernicus Tower in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Julian Nyca)
A Copernicus statue was erected by the "Society of Warmia and Masury", mid-1950s, replacing an older statue, erected by Emperor Wilhelm II .
Fig. 4a. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Mazury.Travel)
Fig. 4b. Nicolaus Copernicus (Portrait by Karol Hemmerlein)
The fortified church with parapet walk offered place for astronomical observations with moveable instruments.
![Copernicus’s]()
Con" src="/images/astronomicalheritage.net/gallery/ahp_entities/entity000255/Jan-Matejko-Astronomer-Copernicus-Conversation-with-God.jpg">
Fig. 5a. Copernicus’s "Observatory" in Frombork -- Conversation with God (painting by Jan Matejko)
Fig. 5b. Armillary Sphere (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5c. Quadrant (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5d. Triquetrum (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
The Copernicus Tower, part of the Cathedral complex, is a site, where Copernicus may have done his observations and research.
Instruments
- Replicas of Copernicus instruments: Armillary Sphere, large Quadrant, Triquetrum.
In the former Bishop’s Palace (Ferber Palace) is today a Copernicus Museum. In the Holy Spirit Hospital, where Copernicus was active as physician, the Medical History Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is presented.
Fig. 6a. Copernicus Exhibition in the former Bishop’s Palace
Fig. 6b. Replicas of Copernicus’ instruments in the Museum
In the Cathedral, there is the Epitaph, tombstone at the altar of the Holy Cross, and the Grave of Copernicus.
Fig. 7a. Epitaph of Nicolaus Copernicus
Fig. 7b. Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7c. Tombstone of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7d. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
History
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
-
Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage
Fig. 1. View of the old town of Frombork/Frauenburg from the Vistula Lagoon (CC3, Polimerek)
Frauenburg/Frombork on the eastern shore of the Vistula Lagoon, founded in 1287, was the seat of the Warmian cathedral chapter since 1282. The Gothic Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew is a landmark on the Cathedral Hill.
Fig. 2. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Agnieszka Kaczmarek)
Nicolaus Copernicus was Canon 1497, Capitular 1512 to 1516, and stayed since 1517 in Frombork / Frauenburg. Copernicus had different functions in the Warmia Cathedral Chapter: Chancellor and visitor of the Chapter’s property, Commissioner of Warmia, general administrator of the bishopric (1510 to 1543).
%Battles between Teutonic Knights and the King of Poland
In Frombork, Copernicus wrote the main part of his opus magnum De revolutionibuss orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), printed in 1543 in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius.
Fig. 3a. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Holger Weinandt)
Fig. 3b. Frombork/Frauenburg (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684)
Fig. 3c. Copernicus study in Frombork/Frauenburg
Fig. 3d. Copernicus Tower in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Julian Nyca)
A Copernicus statue was erected by the "Society of Warmia and Masury", mid-1950s, replacing an older statue, erected by Emperor Wilhelm II .
Fig. 4a. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Mazury.Travel)
Fig. 4b. Nicolaus Copernicus (Portrait by Karol Hemmerlein)
The fortified church with parapet walk offered place for astronomical observations with moveable instruments.
![Copernicus’s]()
Con" src="/images/astronomicalheritage.net/gallery/ahp_entities/entity000255/Jan-Matejko-Astronomer-Copernicus-Conversation-with-God.jpg">
Fig. 5a. Copernicus’s "Observatory" in Frombork -- Conversation with God (painting by Jan Matejko)
Fig. 5b. Armillary Sphere (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5c. Quadrant (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5d. Triquetrum (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
The Copernicus Tower, part of the Cathedral complex, is a site, where Copernicus may have done his observations and research.
Instruments
- Replicas of Copernicus instruments: Armillary Sphere, large Quadrant, Triquetrum.
In the former Bishop’s Palace (Ferber Palace) is today a Copernicus Museum. In the Holy Spirit Hospital, where Copernicus was active as physician, the Medical History Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is presented.
Fig. 6a. Copernicus Exhibition in the former Bishop’s Palace
Fig. 6b. Replicas of Copernicus’ instruments in the Museum
In the Cathedral, there is the Epitaph, tombstone at the altar of the Holy Cross, and the Grave of Copernicus.
Fig. 7a. Epitaph of Nicolaus Copernicus
Fig. 7b. Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7c. Tombstone of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7d. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
History
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
Fig. 1. View of the old town of Frombork/Frauenburg from the Vistula Lagoon (CC3, Polimerek)
Frauenburg/Frombork on the eastern shore of the Vistula Lagoon, founded in 1287, was the seat of the Warmian cathedral chapter since 1282. The Gothic Archcathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Andrew is a landmark on the Cathedral Hill.
Fig. 2. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Agnieszka Kaczmarek)
Nicolaus Copernicus was Canon 1497, Capitular 1512 to 1516, and stayed since 1517 in Frombork / Frauenburg. Copernicus had different functions in the Warmia Cathedral Chapter: Chancellor and visitor of the Chapter’s property, Commissioner of Warmia, general administrator of the bishopric (1510 to 1543).
%Battles between Teutonic Knights and the King of Poland
In Frombork, Copernicus wrote the main part of his opus magnum De revolutionibuss orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), printed in 1543 in Nuremberg by Johannes Petreius.
Fig. 3a. Cathedral in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Holger Weinandt)
Fig. 3b. Frombork/Frauenburg (Christoph Hartknoch, 1684)
Fig. 3c. Copernicus study in Frombork/Frauenburg
Fig. 3d. Copernicus Tower in Frombork/Frauenburg (CC3, Julian Nyca)
A Copernicus statue was erected by the "Society of Warmia and Masury", mid-1950s, replacing an older statue, erected by Emperor Wilhelm II .
Fig. 4a. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Mazury.Travel)
Fig. 4b. Nicolaus Copernicus (Portrait by Karol Hemmerlein)
The fortified church with parapet walk offered place for astronomical observations with moveable instruments.
Con" src="/images/astronomicalheritage.net/gallery/ahp_entities/entity000255/Jan-Matejko-Astronomer-Copernicus-Conversation-with-God.jpg">
Fig. 5a. Copernicus’s "Observatory" in Frombork -- Conversation with God (painting by Jan Matejko)
Fig. 5b. Armillary Sphere (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5c. Quadrant (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
Fig. 5d. Triquetrum (Replica) of Copernicus in Frombork
The Copernicus Tower, part of the Cathedral complex, is a site, where Copernicus may have done his observations and research.
Instruments
- Replicas of Copernicus instruments: Armillary Sphere, large Quadrant, Triquetrum.
In the former Bishop’s Palace (Ferber Palace) is today a Copernicus Museum. In the Holy Spirit Hospital, where Copernicus was active as physician, the Medical History Department of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum is presented.
Fig. 6a. Copernicus Exhibition in the former Bishop’s Palace
Fig. 6b. Replicas of Copernicus’ instruments in the Museum
In the Cathedral, there is the Epitaph, tombstone at the altar of the Holy Cross, and the Grave of Copernicus.
Fig. 7a. Epitaph of Nicolaus Copernicus
Fig. 7b. Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7c. Tombstone of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
Fig. 7d. Statue of Nicolaus Copernicus (Photo: Ansgar Korte)
History
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
Astronomical Observatory in Frombork
2 km from Frombork, on a hill called Żurawia Góra (Crane Mountain), there is the Astronomical Observatory Frombork, Ronin 7, seven pavilions with instruments for star gazing.
Fig. 8a. Public Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Astro-Park -- Pavilions of the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Instruments and Buildings of the Astro-Park Frombork
- Reception Building
- Astrograph (Kamera)
- Kazimierz-Kordylewski-Telescope
- Repsold
- White Pavilion (Pawilon Bialy)
- Carl Bamberg
- Universal Instrument
- 12.5-cm-Heyde-Sendtner Telescope (1930), focal length 2.7-m in a 5-m-Dome, made by Gustav Heyde of Dresden and M. Sendtner of Munich.
First it was used in an Observatory in Danzig/Gdańsk (not in the Oberrealschule zu St. Petri und St. Pauli, may be in the "Danziger Naturforschende Gesellschaft" or in the Navigation School)
It belonged to Warsaw Observatory (1956), then since 1972 in the School Observatory Grudziądz, and was transferred to Frombork in 1978. - 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m)
Fig. 8a. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Danzig/Gdańsk (1930), (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8b. Heyde-Sendtner-Telescope in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8c. Telescope for observing the Sun in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8d. Transit, made by Carl Bamberg of Berlin in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 8e. 65-cm-Cassegrain-Reflector, made by Uniwersaĺ (focal length 6.88m), in the Observatory in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Planetarium Frombork
In the former Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower), there is a planetarium, and a Foucault pendulum showing the rotation of the Earth. From the platform on the top of the tower, you have a beautiful view of the town of Frombork and of the Vistula Lagoon.
Fig. 9a. Projector of the Planetarium in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Bell Tower (Belfry Radziejowski Tower) with Foucault pendulum in Frombork (credit: Edith Pilska)
State of preservation
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)
Comparison with related/similar sites
The Cathedral, the Belfry Radziejowski Tower, the parapet walk with the towers, and additional buildings like the former Bishop’s Palace are well preserved.
Fig. 9a. Frombork Cathedral Hill, Belfry Radziejowski and Copernicus-Tower (CC3, Dawid Galus)
Fig. 9b. Cathedral Hill Frombork and Copernicus Statue (CC3, Ludwig Schneider)