The exhibition contains a collection of astronomical
instruments from the 16th to 19th century. The instruments
are divided into the following groups: sundials,
demonstrating, protractor, astronomical, optical, and
mathematical instruments.
The collection of sundials shows a type and artistic variety
of works of the 16th to 18th century mechanicians. Works of
Bohemian masters are represented by the sundials of Erasmus Habermel from the 16th century, Solms's Baroque sundials
and Engelbrecht's sundials from the turn of 18th and 19th
centuries.
The group of demonstrating instruments includes armillary
spheres and globes. Excellent masterpieces are two
Renaissance spheres from the 16th century. The most precious
globes are the celestial globe of W. J. Blaeu from 1603,
coupled globes (terrestrial and celestial) of I. Haabrecht
from 1625, and Doppelmayer's trio (terrestrial and celestial
globes and armillary sphere) from 1728.
Protractor instruments are represented by an astrolabe from
the 15th century, torquetum, Jakob's stick and mirror
sextants.
The most precious series is represented by astronomical
instruments that begin with the so-called Tychonian sextants
- the first made by Jost Burgi from the turn of 16th and
17th centuries, the second by Erasmus Habermel from 1600.
Another instruments exhibited here are the Klein's quadrant
from 1762 and the quadrant (from 1766) from the Fellwock
workshop in Wurzburg. The series follows with two whole-
circle instruments, the Troughton's alt-azimuth (about
1800), and the Jaworski's passage instrument (about 1830).
The series is closed by a telescope of the early 20th
century.
The group of optical instruments includes products of
English and German workshops from the 18th and 19th
centuries. Mathematical instruments are represented by
compasses, rulers, dividers, protractors and drafting sets.
Geodetic instruments document the development of protractor
methods from the 17th to the mid-20th century.
