Welcome,
Committees,
Registration & Abstract,
Programme &
Booklet of Abstracts,
Excursion,
Workshop IAU C4,
Links,
HVV,
Tourist,
Tours around Hamburg,
Accomodation
Welcome
Above: Port of Hamburg, Landungsbrücken,
Below: Container Port, Oevelgönne (traditional ships, lighthouse, light vessel `Elbe 3')
(Photos: Gudrun Wolfschmidt)
Welcome to Hamburg -- Gateway to the World
Hamburg was founded in the time of Charlemagne around 800. and is situated on the rivers Elbe, Alster and Bille. This green city has Hanseatic tradition and an inspiring cosmopolitan atmosphere. Hamburg is called `Gateway to the World'.
One can find a mix of culture (museums, music, theatres), gastronomy and nightlife. Landmarks are St. Michaelis Church (8-m-tower clock - the largest in Germany) and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall (Herzog & de Meuron, 2017) -- an architectural highlight, as well as the Chile House (a `Kontorhaus' / office building in expressionistic style, Fritz Höger, 1922-1924) with the large Warehouse complex, called `Speicherstadt' (1888) -- both Unesco World Heritage, and the modern HafenCity (Port City).
Hamburg has a maritime atmosphere (sailing ship Rickmer Rickmers 1896, cargo vessel Cap San Diego 1961, light vessel LV13 1952) with the the third biggest container port in Europe. The old port was at Nikolaifleet (`Binnenhafen'), used for sailing ships until around 1900, then Landungsbrücken for steam ships. The Navigation School was founded in 1749, in 1790 moved to the `Baumhaus'.
Astronomy and navigation played a major role: Johann Georg Repsold (1771--1830) founded a private observatory (1802--1812) on the `Stintfang' (smelt fishing) hill at Landungsbrücken. The Deutsche Seewarte (German Maritime Observatory) with Chronometer Testing Institute was built there (1875). In addition, the Altona Observatory, Palmaille 9, famous for surveying (Danmark, Hamburg, Kingdom of Hanover), existed from 1821 to 1873.
The *new' Hamburg Observatory with Navigation School was founded at `Millerntor' (Gate of the Windmills) in 1825. A monument for Repsold (1833) markes the place today. For timekeeping a time ball was erected on the Kaispeicher A (a brick warehouse, now Elbphilharmonie) in 1976, which was in use until 1934.
The Millerntor Observatory was replaced by the Museum of Hamburg History, founded in 1908, built by Fritz Schumacher, and opened in 1922. The Hamburg Observatory got an impressive Astronomy Park Ensemble, built by Albert Erbe (1906--1912) in Bergedorf.
The SEAC conference will bring together researchers, scholars, and enthusiasts from around the world. They will explore how astronomy, culture, and instruments intersect in various contexts. The conference will examine historical and modern methods of timekeeping, navigation, and land surveying. These practices have played key roles in shaping societies and their understanding of the cosmos.
General Information:
Locations
- Centre for History of Science and Technology,
Geomatikum, University of Hamburg
Bundesstrasse 55 Geomatikum, 20146 Hamburg
- Hamburg Observatory, University of Hamburg,
Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg
Deadlines
- Dec. 31, 2024 -- Website, first version
- Jan. 15, 2025 -- Call for papers open (abstracts for lectures & posters)
- March 31, 2025 -- Call for papers end
- May 15, 2025 -- Communication if papers are accepted
- May 31, 2025 -- Registration - Deadline for presenters to pay the fee
- July 15, 2025 -- Late Registration
- August 25-30, 2025 -- SEAC Annual Meeting and Excursion
- August 31, 2025 -- Workshop: Classical Observatories and UNESCO World Heritage (IAU C.C4)
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Committees
Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC):
- Prof. Dr. Gudrun Wolfschmidt (University of Hamburg, Germany)
- Prof. Dr. Rita Gautschy (University of Basel, Switzerland)
- Dr. Michael Rappenglück (Gilching, Germany)
- Dr. Georg Zotti (Vienna, Austia)
- Prof. Manuela Incerti, PhD (Ferrara, Italy)
- Dr. A. César González-Garc”a (Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
- Prof. Marc Frincu, PhD (West University of Timisoara, Romania)
- Prof. Dr. Penka Maglova-Stoeva (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria)
- Dr. Frank Prendergast (Technological University Dublin, Ireland)
- Prof. Kim Malville, PhD (University of Colorado, USA)
- Dr. Burkard Steinrücken (Recklinghausen, Germany)
Assistants -- Helfer
- Astrid Wokke (Bremen, Germany)
- Dr. Katrin Cura (GNT, Universität Hamburg)
- Dr.cand. Dipl.-Phys. Yang-Hyun Choi (GNT, Universität Hamburg)
- Dr.cand. Dipl.-Phys. Carsten Busch (GNT, Universität Hamburg)?
- Dr.cand. Heidi Tauber, M.A. (GNT, Universität Hamburg)
- Dr.cand. Dipl.-Phys. Björn Kunzmann (GNT, Universität Hamburg)?
- Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Gottschalk (GNT, Universität Hamburg)
Local Organizing Committee (LOC):
- Gudrun Wolfschmidt (GNT, Universität Hamburg)
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Deadlines - Abstracts and Registration
Topics of the Abstracts:
We cordially invite you to present and discuss your contributions on the topics of
- timekeeping
- navigation
- surveying
- cultural astronomy
- archaeoastronomy
- ethnoastronomy
- history of science
- heritage of astronomy
Relationships between cultural astronomy and other disciplines
(e.g. archaeology, anthropology, architecture, art, metrology, philosophy) can also be discussed.
Authors are required to send an extended abstract clearly explaining the background,
the data, the results, and the conclusions with the following requirements:
- ca. 500-700 words
- at least 3 references
- 3-5 keywords
- up to 2 color images may be included (300dpi)
- a short biographical information
- please send it in Word or LaTeX
Please indicate whether your contribution is intended
as an oral presentation or as a poster contribution.
Only one abstract per person as first author will be accepted!
Deadline for abstracts: March 31, 2025.
Please send your abstract to SEAC email
All accepted abstracts will be published in an abstract booklet.
Registration - Conference fee - SEAC Travel Grants
Deadline: May 31, 2025.
Registration Form 
(will be updated)
Conference fee
Early Bird:
.....- Euro for SEAC or GfA members,
.....- Euro for Students
.....- Euro for non members
.....- Accompanying person (only for guided tours and excursion)
.....- Dinner
.....- Excursion to Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein
Late Registration - until 15 July 2025:
.....- Euro for SEAC or GfA members,
.....- Euro for Students
.....- Euro for non members
.....- Accompanying person (only for guided tous and excursions).
SEAC Travel Grants for Master Students, PhDs, Postdocs
A grant worth 500 Euros will be offered by SEAC to young scientists working in cultural astronomy. Applicants must be postgraduate students working on either a Masters or a PhD degree with a subject on some aspect of astronomy in culture or must have completed such a degree not earlier than 2020. Applicants may be not older than 35. The grant will be presented upon registration at the conference. The process of selection will be under the responsibility of the Board of SEAC. The applications together with an abstract of 600 words plus bibliography should be sent no later than 31 May 2025 (SEAC-2025-email). Please include
- letter of motivation
- your abstract
- a letter of reference from you (former) advisor.
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Programme
Booklet of Abstracts
(will be updated)
Hamburg, Geomatikum, Monday, August 25, 2025
Hamburg, Geomatikum, Tuesday, August 26, 2025
- .... h Lectures
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Planetarium Hamburg
(Photos: Gudrun Wolfschmidt)
- 18.30 -- 21 h
Planetarium Hamburg,
Linnering 1 (Stadtpark), 22299 Hamburg
- 18.30 -- 19.30 h
Aby Warburg (1866-1929) Exhibition --
Cultural History of Astronomy and Astrology (Mnemosyne),
originally opened in 1930 in the Planetarium Hamburg.
- 19.30 h -- Public Lecture - Öffentlicher Abendvortrag
Dr. Michael Rappenglück (Gilching):
Humans and the Cosmos:
From the World Cave to the Big Bang --
Anthropology, Ecospheres, and Cultural Cosmologies
Hamburg Observatory, Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg-Bergedorf
- 10:00-13:00 Uhr Lectures - Vorträge
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- 14:00-15:00 Uhr Lectures - Vorträge
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Chair: ....
Hamburg Observatory, Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg-Bergedorf
Library of Hamburg Observatory
(Photo. Susanne M. Hoffmann)
- 10:00-13:00 Uhr Lectures - Vorträge
... Session - Hamburger Sternwarte
Chair: ...
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- 11.00-11:30 Uhr Kaffeepause / Coffee break
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- 13:00-14:00 Uhr - Mittagessen / Lunch -
- 14:00-15:00 Uhr Lectures - Vorträge
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- 14:30-15:00 Uhr Kaffeepause / Coffee break
- Workshop Proposal by Georg Zotti, VRVis, Vienna, Austria:
Creating virtual panorama horizons and/or Skycultures for Stellarium
Tycho Brahe in the Castle of the Counts of Rantzau (1597 to 1599),
Tycho portrait in his publication of "Astronomiae instauratae mechanica" Wandsbek 1598.
- Short visit in Hamburg-Wandsbek:
Bust of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601)
at Wandsbeker Markt in Hamburg
Melkeveien (Milky Way), Frida Hansen, Oslo (1898)
(© Maria Thrun, MK&G)
