Sonnenborgh Museum and Observatory
Crazy about astronomy? At Sonnenborgh, the universe comes very close for a moment. In the museum and observatory, built on a 16th-century bastion, three telescopes face the sky. With these, you can see the moon, planets, stars and the sun.
Museum and Observatory
Today, Sonnenborgh is a public observatory and a museum of meteorology, astronomy and bastion history. Look for cannon holes behind the metre-thick walls of the 16th-century defensive structure. Climb the steps to the 19th-century star domes and watch stars and planets on a dark night. Predict the weather like a real weatherman or take a closer look at the sun with a special solar telescope.
At Sonnenborgh, visitors will make a...
Crazy about astronomy? At Sonnenborgh, the universe comes very close for a moment. In the museum and observatory, built on a 16th-century bastion, three telescopes face the sky. With these, you can see the moon, planets, stars and the sun.
Museum and Observatory
Today, Sonnenborgh is a public observatory and a museum of meteorology, astronomy and bastion history. Look for cannon holes behind the metre-thick walls of the 16th-century defensive structure. Climb the steps to the 19th-century star domes and watch stars and planets on a dark night. Predict the weather like a real weatherman or take a closer look at the sun with a special solar telescope.
In Sonnenborgh, visitors take a space journey where they get to work like a scientist. A tablet guides them around, asks questions and challenges them to do experiments. Young and old are thus challenged to discover more about the universe and our place in it. Visitors can investigate the sun themselves, focus the telescope on Saturn and launch a home-made rocket. All this in a place where scientists have always conducted cutting-edge research. This is where meteorologist Buys Ballot founded KNMI in 1854. Here, from 1639, was Utrecht University's first botanical garden. Here pioneering solar research was carried out that formed the basis for the one of the world's first solar atlases. And here, until the early 20th century, the time for the city of Utrecht was determined using the Meridian telescope.
History
The Sonnenborgh bastion was built in the 16th century by order of Emperor Charles V, because he wanted to defend the city of Utrecht against a new weapon: the movable cannon. The city walls were therefore reinforced with four bastions, of which Sonnenborgh is the only one that has remained almost entirely intact.
In 1851, the well-known physicist Buys Ballot came up with the idea of building an observatory and meteorological institute on top of Sonnenborgh. The university agreed and so Sonnenborgh became an observatory and the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI) was founded in 1854.
The bastion itself fell into oblivion in the 19th century, until archaeologists excavated and restored the stronghold between 1998 and 2003. During the work, they came across, among other things, the remains of a hortus medicus from the 17th century and a chemical laboratory from around 1700.
Find out more about this location via Utrecht Time Machine
From Saturday 6 December 2025, Sonnenborgh will also be open on Saturdays from 13:00-17:00!
Opening hours
- Every Monday closed
- Every Tuesday 11.00 - 17.00
- Every Wednesday 11.00 - 17.00
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Every Thursday
11.00 - 17.00
19.00 - 21.30 - Every Friday 11.00 - 17.00
- Every Saturday 13.00 - 17.00
- Every Sunday 13.00 - 17.00
Prices
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Adults: €8.50
Children aged 4 to 17: €5.00
Children under 4: Free
Students: €5.00
U-pas adults: €5.00
U-pas children: €3.00
Museum Card, BGL VIP Card: Free
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