Learning from the Past: The »Sternkammer« – Modernizing the worlds oldest school planetarium

Presentation themes: future, sustainability and worldviews; planetarium centennial

The »Sternkammer« is a historic planetarium at the St. Jürgen elementary and community school in Lübeck (Germany). 

According to current knowledge, it is the oldest school planetarium in the world, not made by Zeiss. It has a dome size of 4 meters in diameter and a historic star projector developed in Lübeck. In 2021, in its 90th year of existence, a unique fulldomedome projection system was developed and added. 

Just a few years after the invention and opening of the first Zeiss projection planetarium in Jena and Munich, a dedicated group of inventors in Lübeck developed their own planetarium system as a cheap alternative solution. The system was far less technically complex, but had a number of key advantages. It was quite successful and was also installed at other locations in Germany, but also in Denmark and Sweden, before the start of the Second World War. 

The »Sternkammer« was only rediscovered a few years ago. During research, numerous surprising historical circumstances in the history of the planetarium were brought to light. Much effort was undertaken to save the historic installation and to add a fulldome system. Many components of the new system were specifically developed for this installation. The original system was optimised for ease of use and training. Ralph Heinsohn, professor of audiovisual media at Aalen University and producer of full-dome planetarium experiences, presents the special historical significance of the »Sternkammer« in Lübeck against the backdrop of the anniversary and the increasing spread of immersive media.