Einsteinturm
Einsteinturm rises in Potsdam’s Albert Einstein Science Park as an astrophysical observatory shaped by Erich Mendelsohn. Its expressionist form was designed for a solar telescope, giving the building a sculptural silhouette beneath a rotating dome.
Construction began in 1919 after a fundraising campaign, while completion followed in 1921 and 1924 in the supplied accounts. Post-war material shortages replaced the planned reinforced concrete with brick covered in stucco, and cracks and dampness soon required major repairs. Research first pursued the solar red shift predicted by general relativity, then turned towards turbulence in the solar atmosphere when observation proved difficult.
The working observatory now studies solar magnetic fields with spectrographs and polarization analysers, while also training students and testing instruments. Inside, a bronze bust of Einstein survived the Nazi regime in hiding before restoration, and the entrance has Volker März’s small 3 SEC Bronze Brain sculpture.
- City
- Potsdam
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The myTuur app is free, and once you are standing at a spot its story starts by itself.
Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Potsdam. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
What is myTuur?
myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.