The Tycho Brahe Museum on Ven

Museum in the former All Saints' Church

On 29 April 2005 the Tycho Brahe Centre's long-awaited new museum opened on the island of Ven, in the Öresund between Sweden and Denmark. The museum is housed in the former All Saints' Church and was opened by Crown Princess Victoria.

The new museum depicts Tycho Brahe's life and place in scientific history through replica instruments, audiovisual and multimedia presentations, and archaeological finds.

Who was Tycho Brahe?

Tycho Brahe is one of the most fascinating figures in the history of science. His greatest contribution was to chart the celestial positions of stars and planets using instruments he had designed himself. By 16th-century standards, these instruments offered an unprecedented degree of precision. Brahe built a castle on Ven designed entirely around the needs of science, where he assembled a large team of scientists and assistants to work on a collective research programme.

Tycho Brahe was born 1546 at Knutstorp Castle in Skåne, then part of Denmark. His astronomical discoveries were published 1573 in the book De nova stella, which brought him international renown. In 1576 he had the Uraniborg castle and observatory built. Around 10 years later, the partially underground Stjärneborg observatory was completed.

Tycho Brahe lived and worked on Ven for 21 years. Following a dispute with the then King of Denmark, he left Ven to become court astronomer to Emperor Rudolf in Prague, where he died in 1601.

Science Centre

Opened at the same time as the new museum was the first part of the Tycho Brahe Science Centre. The centre is designed to provide an educational programme for visiting school parties, allowing pupils to examine various scientific issues. The first activity available is a weather station, demonstrating different ways of measuring the weather. Crown Princess Victoria made the first observations at the centre, recording a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, air pressure of 1010 hectopascals, relative humidity of 92 per cent, no precipitation, and a southwesterly wind at 8 metres per second.

Former All Saints' Church

The location of the new museum in a former church adds a special dimension to the exhibition. This is the first time in Sweden that a parish church has been permanently turned over to non-religious use, and the theme of the exhibition fits in well to the church setting. Renaissance astronomers were primarily motivated by a desire to understand God's creation. The beautiful church also provides a suitable setting for the large instruments that can now be seen again on Ven just as Tycho Brahe designed them.

The church was built in 1898 as a parish church but had not been used for worship since the early 1990s. It was therefore deconsecrated at a special service in 2003, after which it was purchased by the National Property Board (SFV) for the symbolic sum of one krona.

The nave, measuring around 200 square metres, has been fitted with a new floor and a new electrical and heating system. The walls and paintwork have been overhauled. A new entrance has been created allowing access for disabled visitors.

Former Tycho Brahe Museum

In 1929-31 a museum designed by Sven Ahlbom was built on Landsvägen adjacent to Uraniborg. This museum featured a collection of paintings and artefacts relating to Tycho Brahe. This former museum is to be refurbished as a new gateway building to the centre. The entrances will be modified to provide level access for the disabled. The blocked-up windows will be reinstated, and the original windows with single glazing and shutters renovated.

The Tycho Brahe Centre on Ven comprises:

• Stjärneborg
• Uraniborg
• The Renaissance Garden
• The Ramparts

The Tycho Brahe Centre is owned by the National Property Board and operated jointly with Landskrona kulturförvaltning.