The Zeiss-Großplanetarium, one of the four facilities of the Berlin Planetarium Foundation, has been placed under a preservation order by the Berlin State Office for the Protection of Monuments due to its historical, architectural and urban significance. Opened in 1987, the Zeiss-Großplanetarium is now the most visited planetarium in the German-speaking world. In 2024, after 2022 and 2023, another visitor record was set with 357,060 guests.
Image above: Zeiss-Großplanetarium Aussenansicht © SPB Natalie Toczek.
The Berlin State Office for the Protection of Monuments has placed the Zeiss-Großplanetarium in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg under a preservation order. On the occasion of Berlin’s 750th anniversary, the Zeiss-Großplanetarium was ceremonially opened on 9 October 1987 as one of the last representative buildings of the GDR. The building was planned and realised between

1985 and 1987 according to the plans of architect Erhardt Gißke by an interdisciplinary group of architects and experts and under the direction of the then ‘Baudirektion Hauptstadt Berlin’. With its 23-metre dome and 307 seats, the Zeiss-Großplanetarium is still the largest planetarium in Germany today, is considered Europe’s most modern science theatre and has welcomed more than 5 million guests since its opening. After 2022 and 2023, 2024 was the third record year in a row with 357,060 visitors to the Zeiss-Großplanetarium.

The Zeiss-Großplanetarium was created with an ambitious vision: it was to vividly convey the latest findings in astronomy, present the progress of socialist space travel and showcase the GDR as a centre of high technology. At the same time, it was to publicise the achievements of Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH internationally. After successful early years, the Zeiss-Großplanetarium faced a challenging transformation after the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification. In 2016, it was reopened under the direction of Tim Florian Horn after two years of extensive modernisation and, together with the Archenhold Observatory, the Planetarium am Insulaner and the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory, was transferred to the newly established Planetarium Berlin Foundation. This also saw a change in content from a classic star theatre to a modern science theatre: with over 5,000 events a year, visitors are offered an immersive experience including a lifelike starry sky thanks to the projection planetarium and 360° fulldome technology – the programme ranges from scientific planetarium programmes to live concerts, readings, radio plays, lectures and music events to film screenings in the in-house cinema.

In 2024, the Planetarium Berlin Foundation reached a total of 406,890 visitors. With 357,060 visitors, the Zeiss-Großplanetarium, one of the four foundation facilities, recorded another 6,000 guests more than in the previous record year of 2023 (351,024), making it once again the most visited planetarium in the German-speaking world. At the Archenhold Observatory, the number of guests increased to 37,816 (2023: 36,368) despite being closed for a good four weeks due to modernisation work. The Planetarium am Insulaner has been closed since summer 2023 and is being converted into a modern education centre, while the neighbouring Wilhelm Foerster Observatory reached 2,416 visitors in 2024. With the INTENSE mobile science theatre, the foundation team was able to inspire 7,318 nursery, primary and secondary school pupils across Berlin about the cosmos. With other events such as the IPS – the largest international planetarium conference – the foundation was also able to reach 2,280 visitors.
Dr Christoph Rauhut, Director of the Berlin State Monuments Office: ‘The extensive experience of the Planetarium Berlin Foundation with its monuments is a stroke of luck for the careful renovation and operation of this scientific theatre, which is known far beyond Berlin. The dome of the Zeiss-Großplanetarium is a technical masterpiece by engineer Ulrich Müther, which, as the centre of the building, characterises the interior as well as the structure and the park surrounding the planetarium.’
‘We are delighted about the appreciation of our centre, which is associated with its entry in the Berlin list of monuments. With the Archenhold Observatory, the Planetarium am Insulaner, the Wilhelm Förster Observatory and the Zeiss Large Planetarium, Berlin has several living monuments to astronomical science from the imperial era to the 1980s. Here you can experience the history and future of astronomy up close. We are all the more delighted that we were once again able to reach a record number of people with cosmic themes,’ says Tim Florian Horn, Chairman of the Berlin Planetarium Foundation.

The buildings of Berlin’s monuments of astronomical science are reliably managed by the state-owned property service provider BIM Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH (BIM) in line with monument protection regulations, including the Zeiss-Großplanetarium. As an expert in listed properties, BIM coordinates all services at the planetariums and observatories as well as all refurbishment, construction and maintenance measures with great care. BIM manages 5,000 Berlin properties and real estate assets in the fields of culture, politics, education and public services such as the police and fire brigade. ‘The Zeiss-Großplanetarium is one of our favourite properties – we are proud to be able to help preserve its value for culture, science and society. For us, monument protection is a special responsibility in helping to shape and develop the historical cultural assets of our city,’ emphasises Birgit Möhring, Managing Director of Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH (BIM).
Historic monuments or landmarks are assessed according to four central categories: their historical significance, their artistic design, their scientific value and their urban significance. This is not just about aesthetic quality, but above all about documentary value and the general public’s interest in preservation. The task of monument protection is to scientifically research, protect, preserve and maintain monuments in accordance with legal requirements and to impart knowledge about them.
WHERE?
Zeiss-Großplanetarium
Prenzlauer Allee 80
10405 Berlin