Round and round the Rundetaarn
You think its a remnant of an old fortification ,as it is situated in the Old Town area.
It is not.
You think it is the Bell Tower of the Trinity Church as it is part of the Church building, sharing a wall.
It is not.
You think it is an old penitentiary where criminals were locked up , so dark and gaunt it looks .
It is not.
It is an Observatory. Astronomers of old stood on the top of the cylindrical tower and peered at the skies through telescopes. Visitors today stand on the top and enjoy a 360 degree view of Copenhagen.
The Rundetaarn or Round Tower is one of the most iconic edifices of Denmark and a quirky attraction no visitor should miss.
At 34.8 meters, it is pretty tall tower and has no elevator to take people up. But rest assured, going up does not involve any torturous climbing of narrow , medieval stairways.
The Round Tower's USP is its Spiral Ramp , the Equestrian Staircase , a special corkscrew kind of ramp that runs seven and a half times around a central core , wide enough for a horse carriage to drive up comfortably .
Peter The Great and Catherine 1 ,Tsar and Tsarina of Russia , did that, in style, in 1716 . We are told that no other horse carriages went up after that , though an assortment of conveyances like unicycles, bicycles and motorcars have done stunt ascents.
The Rundetaarn, with the Observatory, took five years to be competed in 1642 . It was commissioned by King Christian IV , whose interest in Astronomy was in keeping with European trends of the day. The spurt of interest in Astronomy had a direct connection to the energetic activity on the Seas, the various voyages of discovery fueling Imperial interests. Ship navigation depended greatly on reading the position of stars and planets and collecting masses of Astronomical data became an obsessive activity in Universities across Europe. Denmark produced some of the foremost Astronomers of that period and later.
Today, its various wings are put to use as museums and exhibition halls and it is well maintained as a tourist attraction.
The winding ramp has a mean length of 210 meters with a gradient of 10% along the outer wall and a steeper 33% along the inner core. Thin, long, arched windows break the monotony of the rough surfaced white walls , flooding the interior with light.
The floor of the ramp is paved with brick said to be laid vertically, exposing the narrow edge, to provide ample strength for withstanding the millions of footfalls.
*
School children streak by , squealing in delight as the sheer momentum of the slope pulls them into a flight.
While climbing up, one can make pitstops every now and then . First is a little museum of books, manuscripts, drawings and artefacts connected with the history of the Tower down the years. There is even a book with bullet wounds caused during the Great War.
Towards the top, near The Library Hall ( which is Exhibition and Concert space now) is the most famous room of the tower . The Old Privy ! It was built in such a way that the waste collected in a cesspit at the base of the closed tower with no outlet ! Ofcourse, in time , it raised a stink! It is reported that it had not been cleaned for about 60 years when finally sanitation measures were undertaken in 1865 ! Today, it is not in use except as a a selfie point !
One famous personality who had used the privy was Hans Christian Andersen , who came there to use the University library often. He had a thing for the old Tower, surely ! For he has immortalised Rundetaarn by alluding to it , many times , in his Fairy Tales.
At one point, a tiny opening in the inner wall of the ramp allows visitors to step on a glass sheet to have a view of the yawning central core, all the way to the deep , deep bottom.
Walking down, one can spot a square planetarium hung up high above the ramp . The Planetarium , is one of the many constructed by Danish astronomer Ole Romer as gifts for monarchs. A wind up mechanism, it shows the planetary positions of the day. Originally it was modeled to show Tycho Brahe's Earth Centric System , but now displays the Sun Centric System of Nicolai Copernicus.
The Observatory room at the top is a small room , crowded with instruments , all arranged as exhibits only, not used.
The balcony running around the room affords panoramic views of the City.
It is not.
You think it is the Bell Tower of the Trinity Church as it is part of the Church building, sharing a wall.
It is not.
You think it is an old penitentiary where criminals were locked up , so dark and gaunt it looks .
It is not.
It is an Observatory. Astronomers of old stood on the top of the cylindrical tower and peered at the skies through telescopes. Visitors today stand on the top and enjoy a 360 degree view of Copenhagen.
The Rundetaarn or Round Tower is one of the most iconic edifices of Denmark and a quirky attraction no visitor should miss.
At 34.8 meters, it is pretty tall tower and has no elevator to take people up. But rest assured, going up does not involve any torturous climbing of narrow , medieval stairways.
The Round Tower's USP is its Spiral Ramp , the Equestrian Staircase , a special corkscrew kind of ramp that runs seven and a half times around a central core , wide enough for a horse carriage to drive up comfortably .
Peter The Great and Catherine 1 ,Tsar and Tsarina of Russia , did that, in style, in 1716 . We are told that no other horse carriages went up after that , though an assortment of conveyances like unicycles, bicycles and motorcars have done stunt ascents.
The Rundetaarn, with the Observatory, took five years to be competed in 1642 . It was commissioned by King Christian IV , whose interest in Astronomy was in keeping with European trends of the day. The spurt of interest in Astronomy had a direct connection to the energetic activity on the Seas, the various voyages of discovery fueling Imperial interests. Ship navigation depended greatly on reading the position of stars and planets and collecting masses of Astronomical data became an obsessive activity in Universities across Europe. Denmark produced some of the foremost Astronomers of that period and later.
When an Observatory in Copengahen was planned, the overall design was borrowed from German turrets. With a church, a library hall and a bell loft added, the tower took shape as beautiful Baroque monument , The Trinitalis Complex . Though the Great Fire of 1728 severely damaged it , it was rebuilt and was in use till early 19th Century. The Observatory was decommissioned in 1860, but amateurs continued to use it .
Today, its various wings are put to use as museums and exhibition halls and it is well maintained as a tourist attraction.
The winding ramp has a mean length of 210 meters with a gradient of 10% along the outer wall and a steeper 33% along the inner core. Thin, long, arched windows break the monotony of the rough surfaced white walls , flooding the interior with light.
The floor of the ramp is paved with brick said to be laid vertically, exposing the narrow edge, to provide ample strength for withstanding the millions of footfalls.
*
School children streak by , squealing in delight as the sheer momentum of the slope pulls them into a flight.
One famous personality who had used the privy was Hans Christian Andersen , who came there to use the University library often. He had a thing for the old Tower, surely ! For he has immortalised Rundetaarn by alluding to it , many times , in his Fairy Tales.
At one point, a tiny opening in the inner wall of the ramp allows visitors to step on a glass sheet to have a view of the yawning central core, all the way to the deep , deep bottom.
Walking down, one can spot a square planetarium hung up high above the ramp . The Planetarium , is one of the many constructed by Danish astronomer Ole Romer as gifts for monarchs. A wind up mechanism, it shows the planetary positions of the day. Originally it was modeled to show Tycho Brahe's Earth Centric System , but now displays the Sun Centric System of Nicolai Copernicus.
The balcony running around the room affords panoramic views of the City.
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