Copenhagen
Rundetårn, the Round Tower, is a tower from the 1600s in the centre of Copenhagen. King Christian IV had it built as an observatory for the university's astronomers.
Three buildings in one
The tower is part of a group of buildings called Trinitatis, meaning “Trinity”. The three uses planned for the university were a symbol of it. There was a church for the students, a large hall for books and the observatory on top.
King Christian IV had many famous buildings put up in Copenhagen. Here he wanted a centre of learning right in the students' quarter. The architect was probably Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger.
The ramp without steps
From the door on Købmagergade you step straight onto the ramp. It is a brick corridor with no steps, winding more than seven times around a hollow cylinder.
On the way up you pass a window onto the church and the great hall above the church. At the end, a wooden staircase and a narrow spiral staircase take you to the terrace.
At the top
From the terrace you can see the whole city. Around it runs a wrought-iron railing, made by the artist blacksmith Caspar Fincke.
Today's dome dates from 1929. In the great fire of 1728, the old observatory burned. In 1861 the university's astronomers moved to a new observatory.
