Einstein Tower and Great Refractor welcome to Day of Open Monuments

The Day of Open Monuments offers the public at the Albert Einstein Science Park at the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam the opportunity to closely experience the architecture and functionality of the Einstein Tower. With the 100th anniversary of the Einstein Tower, the AIP honours the stunning architecture of Erich Mendelsohn and pays tribute to the continued importance of the tower for solar research. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. with a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Matthias Steinmetz, followed by a greeting from the Minister of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg, Dr. Manja Schüle. Afterwards, everyone is invited to visit the Einstein Tower until 4 pm.

The iconic building by architect Erich Mendelsohn was constructed on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam between 1919 and 1924. It is in fact a solar observatory, which was created in collaboration with the physicist Albert Einstein and the astronomer Erwin Finlay Freundlich and still houses a powerful solar telescope, consisting of a tower telescope with a 60 cm field of view and a long focal length spectrograph. Thanks to the modernised optical and mechanical equipment, it is possible to distinguish around 600,000 colors in the spectrum. Following an extensive and comprehensive refurbishment, which was financed and realized by the Wüstenrot Foundation between 2021 and 2023, the listed building shines again in new splendor for its anniversary.

The Einstein Tower on the Telegrafenberg in Potsdam is an important example of the architectural awakening of modernism and symbolises the close link between art and science. Anyone interested has the opportunity to visit the Einstein Tower and the Great Refractor on September 8, 2024 from 10 am to 4 pm.