King Frederick II of Denmark built Tycho Brahe an extraordinary research observatory, paid for by approximately 1% of total Danish state revenue per year. Where?
Tycho was granted the small island of Hven (about 4.5 km long) in 1576. He built the main observatory complex *Uraniborg* between 1576 and 1580, with a secondary underground observatory *Stjerneborg* added in 1584. He worked there for 21 years and produced the most accurate pre-telescope astronomical observations ever made. He fell out of royal favour after Frederick's death (1588) and the regency of the young Christian IV; he left Hven in 1597 and died in Prague in 1601. Uraniborg was demolished progressively after his departure. Hven became Swedish in 1658.
Read the full story →Uraniborg was the most expensive scientific instrument in 16th-century Europe — an island observatory built for Tycho Brahe at royal expense. He worked there for 20 years, made the most accurate pre-telescope astronomical observations ever, then fled in 1597. The Crown demolished it the next year.
Related questions
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- What did Manderup Parsberg — the cousin who cut off Tycho's nose in 1566 — go on to become?
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