Dutch planetarium nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site

The Netherlands may have yet another fabulous heritage site to offer. Eise Eisinga Planetarium is the world’s oldest-working planetarium — and it has been nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The planetarium is located in Franeker, Friesland and was manufactured between 1744 and 1781 by Frisian wool manufacturer and businessman, Eise Eisinga.

READ MORE |12 World Heritage Sites in the Netherlands: the best monuments of Holland

Where does one find the space to build a planetarium in the 1700s? You may be wondering. Well, fun fact, he built the planetarium in his own house! 🔨🏠

Already a national monument

According to the UNESCO Nederlandse Commissie, it has been considered a national monument since 1967 and has an always up-to-date and realistic picture of the sun, the moon, earth, and the other five planets that were known at the time. ☀🌍

READ MORE | Colonies of Benevolence in the Netherlands added as a World Heritage Site (finally!)

“A registration on the World Heritage List is a worldwide recognition of the special value of this planetarium,” says the outgoing cultural minister Van Engelshoven.

Let’s wish this planetarium succes that it gets picked as a world heritage site! 👍🏼

Have you visited the planetarium before? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: Willem van Valkenburg/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0

Nicole Ogden 🇹🇭 🇺🇸
Nicole Ogden 🇹🇭 🇺🇸
Hailing from the bustling city of Bangkok, Nicole is a Thai/American international student who came to the Netherlands to study linguistics. When she's not reading books or listening to true crime podcasts, she's practising her singing and guitar skills! She is also attempting to pick up the Dutch language (moeilijk).

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