Cycle route World Heritage | Eise Eisinga Planetarium
Franeker, Dronrijp
During your cycle route through Franeker and Dronrijp, you'll discover Eise Eisinga's life story and pass the Royal Planetarium, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in September 2023. It is the oldest working planetarium in the world! Eise Eisinga (21 February 1744, Dronrijp) grew up as a highly gifted boy. Although he had to work in his father's wool combing business, he also adopted his father's interest in astronomy and arithmetic. From an early age, he walked weekly to Franeker, where he studied Euclid's mathematics books at the University of Franeker (1585-1811). Today, the Franeker Academy, as it is now called, can be found at Breedeplaats 1 in Franeker. Eise learned all facets of astronomy thanks to many hours of self-study. He was also immensely interested in sundials. He published a book with drawings of some 150 sundials. In 1774, a Frisian minister from Bozum published a booklet in which he predicted that as soon as four planets aligned with the moon, the earth would be thrown out of its orbit and burn in the sun. This caused much unrest in Friesland. Eisinga, as a supporter of the Enlightenment, subsequently decided to build the planetarium. That way, he knew what was happening in the sky at any time of day. In seven years, he rebuilt the universe on the ceiling of his living room. The planets orbit the sun in the same number of days they do in real life. An impressive cog of wooden hoops, nine weights and 5,934 hand-forged nails and teeth, set the system in motion. Besides being a supporter of the Enlightenment, Eisinga was also a patriot and opposed the ideas of Stadholder William V. This caused him to be arrested and banned from entering the province for five years. When he was released again in 1818, King William I visited his planetarium. He was so impressed that he bought it for the Dutch state. It was later donated to the municipality of Franeker. Eisinga left the instructions and operation of the planetarium in his will. To this day, the planetarium is still operated using these instructions, for example for the manual transmission of the leap day 29 February. Eise Eisinga died on 27 August 1828 at the age of 84.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
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Start: Brêgebuorren 10, 9035 AR Waadhoeke | 24.8 KM | |
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From
61
to
44
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2453 M | 2.5 KM | |
| Head west on Brêgebuorren | 133 M | ||
| Continue straight | 11 M | ||
| Continue onto Harnzertrekwei | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Strjitwei | 119 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Strjitwei | 415 M | ||
| Turn right onto Underweis | 24 M | ||
| Continue left onto Underweis | 126 M | ||
| Continue right onto Underweis | 44 M | ||
| Turn left onto Skingsterdyk | 355 M | ||
| Turn right onto Buorren | 113 M | ||
| You are now at section 44 | 0 M | ||
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From
44
to
92
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1608 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Alddyk | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 92 | 0 M | ||
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From
92
to
29
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1615 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Zweinserweg | 449 M | ||
| Turn left onto Dorpsstraat | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 29 | 0 M | ||
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From
29
to
97
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2341 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kerkstraat | 349 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kerkstraat | 608 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 97 | 0 M | ||
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From
97
to
45
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1606 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southwest | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Riedsterweg | 317 M | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
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From
45
to
12
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1275 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head south | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn right | 12 M | ||
| You are now at section 12 | 0 M | ||
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From
12
to
15
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1296 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head south on Sexbierumerweg | 135 M | ||
| Continue straight | 7 M | ||
| Turn left | 27 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hertog van Saxenlaan | 136 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hertog van Saxenlaan | 71 M | ||
| Continue straight | 95 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Hertog van Saxenlaan | 471 M | ||
| Turn left onto Noorderbleek | 23 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hocquart | 331 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
9
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742 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head east on Voorstraat | 303 M | ||
| Turn left onto Raadhuisplein | 67 M | ||
| Turn right onto Groenmarkt | 246 M | ||
| Turn left onto Leeuwarderend | 79 M | ||
| Continue straight | 47 M | ||
| You are now at section 09 | 0 M | ||
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From
9
to
5
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628 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head southeast on Leeuwarderend | 22 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oud Kaatsveld | 396 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Anna Maria van Schurmansingel | 28 M | ||
| Turn right | 18 M | ||
| Turn left | 51 M | ||
| Continue onto De Dûker | 18 M | ||
| Continue straight | 95 M | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
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From
5
to
3
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4405 M | 4.4 KM | |
| Head east on Parallelweg | 408 M | ||
| Turn right onto Tzummerweg | 9 M | ||
| Turn right | 11 M | ||
| Turn left | 628 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lutje Lollumerweg | 947 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 45 M | ||
| Turn left onto Welsrijperweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Westerein | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 03 | 0 M | ||
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From
3
to
23
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1329 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head east on Westerein | 508 M | ||
| Turn left onto Suderpolderwei | 12 M | ||
| Turn right | 108 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Westerein | 371 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Galemawei | 330 M | ||
| You are now at section 23 | 0 M | ||
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From
23
to
24
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3689 M | 3.7 KM | |
| Head northeast on Oasterein | 1.8 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Kleasterwei | 830 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hatzum | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 24 | 0 M | ||
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From
24
to
67
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172 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head northeast on Hatzum | 6 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hatzum | 166 M | ||
| You are now at section 67 | 0 M | ||
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From
67
to
61
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1601 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Longbuorren | 925 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Lytsehuzen | 522 M | ||
| Turn left onto Dûbelestreek | 154 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M |