Family Culture Night at the Round Tower
Calling all children interested in the Universe, stars and planets! On March 14, we are hosting Family Culture Night at the Round Tower, where all children (and their families) are invited to join fun activities in the Spiral Ramp, a planet workshop and stargazing in the Observatory.
Exploring the Tower and Creative Planet Workshop
In the Round Tower’s iconic Spiral Ramp, you can travel with light through the solar system and explore the planets. Along the way, you can solve small tasks and talk to the Round Tower’s astronomy students, who will teach you more about the movement of the solar system, the speed of light, and constellations.
In the Library Hall, you can discover Jakob Arthur Andersen’s captivating astrophotos, while in the old reading room, you have the opportunity to unleash your creativity and create your very own lifelike planets – both on paper and on sticks! The Round Tower provides colors, tools, and drawing kits, but you decide what patterns and colors the celestial bodies should have.
Visit the Observatory at the Top
The Observatory, located in the historic domed building at the top of the tower, will be open for visitors. Here, you will find the 95-year-old telescope, which the Round Tower’s astronomers will use to zoom in on celestial bodies many light-years away in the Milky Way. If we are lucky, both Jupiter and Mars will be visible in the sky that evening. Don’t forget to dress warmly!
Please note: There is limited space in the Observatory, so a queue may form. The Round Tower cannot guarantee that we will be able to see celestial objects through the telescope if, for example, the sky is cloudy. However, if the weather does not cooperate, the Observatory will still be open, and our astronomers will share fascinating insights about the Observatory and the large refracting telescope, which has a magnification range of 80-450 times.
This evening you can only access with a Culture Night Pass. A Culture Night Pass for Family Culture Night 2025 can only be purchased digitally via kulturnatten.dk. It costs DKK 125 and gives you access to all the events at Family Culture Night and allows you – free of charge – to take two children under 12 years old with you. In addition, the Culture Night Pass ensures for the Pass holder and for two children under 12 free transportation by bus, train and Metro in Greater Copenhagen zones 1-99.
Culture Night at the Round Tower
This year’s Cultural Night is dedicated to science at Christian IV’s old observation tower! Discover the science exhibition “From Science to Society”, visit our manned Observatory and look through the telescope or join the science show in the Library Hall.
Evening Program
6:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Exhibition: “From Science to Society” in the Library Hall
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Guides from the Society for the Dissemination of Natural Science (SNU) will talk about the exhibition and showcase it for both children and adults in the Library Hall
6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
The Round Tower’s astronomers will open and staff the Observatory at the top
10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Science-astro show with Jonathan Gammeltoft in the Library Hall – pre-book your spot here!
Science Exhibition: From Science to Society
For 200 years, the Society for the Dissemination of Natural Science (SNU) has been dedicated to communicating science and technology to a broad audience in Denmark.
“From Science to Society” celebrates SNU’s 200th anniversary and showcases how scientific research has transformed our daily lives – from H.C. Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism, which brought electricity into every corner of society, to Niels Bohr’s atomic model, which led to new diagnostic methods in medicine, nuclear power, and the modern electronics that surround us.
During Cultural Night, visitors to the tower can experience the exhibition brought to life, as knowledgeable guides from SNU share more about both well-known and lesser-known scientists featured in the exhibition. They will demonstrate how you can engage with everything from the effects of electric currents to tasting seawater with varying salt content.
Look through the telescope in the Observatory
If you want to get a closer look at the celestial bodies of the Universe, you can, as tradition has it, visit the Observatory at the top of the Round Tower and try spotting planets through the telescope, if weather permits. The Round Tower’s skilled astronomers staff the old refractor telescope, while Cultural Night visitors can explore the Observatory or enjoy Copenhagen’s most charming view, 34.8 meters above Købmagergade.
Please Note: Stargazing is not possible if the sky is overcast. The Round Tower cannot guarantee visible stars or planets if the weather does not permit.
If it is cloudy, rainy or overcast, our astronomers will still keep the Observatory open for visits and will in stead tell you more about the telescope and the old Observatory.
Science Show
Cultural Night concludes in style when the Library Hall is transformed into an entertaining science show late in the evening, featuring experiments and tests with physicist Jonathan Gammeltoft.
Jonathan Gammeltoft is a medical physicist at Odense University Hospital and has given numerous lectures and shows. Alongside his studies and work, he has also been a science consultant for both DR1 and TV2, and has lectured at high schools, festivals, folk high schools, at Science Expo, and much more.
Please note that you need to book (free) tickets for the show in advance, as there are limited spots available! Book your ticket for the science show here – and remember, on the night, access to the Round Tower – including the science show – is only possible with a Culture Pass.