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42
U R A N I B 0 R G
from u n d e r U r a n ib o r g ’s so u th e r n wall and g a rd en on to the chem ica l labo ra to ry in the cellar u n d e r U ran i-
b o r g ’s s o u th e r n pro jec tion . Th e p lan was n ev e r c a r r ied out. Tycho h im se lf says th a t th is secret passage
was con temp la ted in o r d e r to avo id op en ing the ga teways at n igh t d u r i n g w i n t e r
. 1
In the obse rva to ry , D, a po r tab le q u a d r a n t was erected. F r om the small an te room ou ts ide the w a rm in g
room , B, one en te red th e ob se rva to ry , E, w h e r e a zodiacal a rm i ll a ry sphe re was erected. The floor in the
squ a r e w a rm i n g r oom was of red b r ick s and roofed in w ith a flat dom e hav ing lune ttes at th e angles. The
m a so n r y of the roo f cons is ted o f c linke rs and cemen t. Th e r oom was ligh ted by fou r w indow s close to the
g r o und . In the dom e the T y chon i an system of the w o r ld was pa in ted , an d above the mou ld ing po r tra its of
eigh t a s tronom e r s , respec tive ly an tique , med iaeva l, a n d con tempo ra ry . Th ey we re rec lin ing in pairs. Amongs t
th em was Tycho B rahe h im se lf w ho po in ted up to his system of the wo rld . In the o th e r h a n d he he ld a
slip of p ap e r on wh ich the following ques tion to h is colleagues cou ld be r e a d ; »Quid si sic?« (what do you
t h i n k of it? [i. e. the system of the world]). The eighth was a still u n b o r n Tychon ides , a possib le d e s c end an t
of Tycho . U n d e r each po r tr a i t was the n am e and a Latin distich. The d istich u n d e r Tychon id e s expressed
the hope tha t he m igh t be w o r th y of his g rea t a n c e s t o r
.2
In the w e s te rn pa r t of the ob s e rv a to ry a tab le was p laced at wh ich the s tuden ts m igh t w o r k ou t the
obse rva tions, re ad ing the time on a coup le of clocks in the no r th -w e s te rn corner. In a special n iche to
n o r th - e a s t the iron stove was p laced in o r d e r th a t it m igh t no t take up a g rea t deal of space in the room
itself. T h r o u g h a do o r in the w a in sco t Tycho en te red a b r ick -bu ilt and vau lted alcove, O, w h e r e he cou ld
rest w h en the ob se rv a tion s h ad to be s topped because the sky was overcast. In a s imilar, som ew h a t la rge r
alcove, Q, the bed of the s tud en ts was placed.
On the left, a passage led from the w a rm i n g room, past a room , R, used for storage, on to the ob s e rv a
to ry G. Here a sex tan t was erec ted
011
a po r tab le globe. On the right, an o t h e r passage led on to the
obse rva to ry , F, w h ich con ta ined a q u a d r a n t of steel, enclosed in a geometrical q u a d r a n t also of steel. F r om
th is passage as well as from the w a rm i n g room th e re was access to the large so u th e r n obse rva to ry . In he re
was p laced T y ch o ’s largest in s trum en t; an a rm i ll a ry sphere, the dec lina tion axis of w h ic h rested on a g lobe
wh ich , as a lready m e n tion e d was suppo r ted in its tu r n on a stone pillar. U n d e r the globe was a s cu lp tu r ed
figure r e p r e s en t ing the Negro king, Atlas, he who , acco rd ing to the legend, bo re the ea r th on h is shou lde r s .
W ith th is Tycho w an ted to ind ica te th a t k ings and p rince s ough t to s uppo r t a s tronom ica l stud ies j u s t like
King Atlas and m a n y o the rs h a d don e of old.
In the n o r th -w e s te rn ob s e rv a to ry (E) th e re was a single c ircu la r step along the wall, in th ree of the
o the rs steps r is ing am p h ith e a tr ic a lly so tha t the in s tr um e n ts could be w o rk ed from all sides an d be got at
in th e ir full extent. In the wall of the sou th -we s te rn obse rva to ry , F, th ree n iches have been located, 75 cm.
in he igh t by 40 cm. in w id th ; p r e s um a b l y cand les o r lights we re p laced there.
Ou tside the s u b te r r a n e a n bu ild ing a s tand was erec ted in each of the co rne r s of the square^ K, L,
N, T, s u p po r ting globes on w h ich sextants m igh t be moun ted . The M in the sou th e rn semi-circle ind icates
a r o u n d stone tab le in t end ed for a po r tab le q u a d r a n t o r some o th e r sma lle r in s trum en ts . HH and II we re
stone p illa rs in t end ed to s u p p o r t T r i q u e t r um and sma lle r armillse.
Above, S tje rn ebo rg is shown from the no rth . In the m idd le is the en trance. It was bu ilt of Goth-
la nd ian s tone s , as is exp ress ly sta ted , and of »Ionic o r r a t h e r composite order« . Over the po rtal we re
T y c h o ’s pa te rna l and m a te rn a l coats of arms. Over the en trance th ree c rown ed lions (cp. fig. 27) emb lema tic
of the w o rd s in the insc rip tion :
Nec Fasces Nec Opes
Sola Artis
Sceptra Perennant.
(15)85.3
The po rta l is flanked by two ga r re t w indow s in the w a rm in g room , over the po rta l rise the t am b o u r
an d dome of the large obse rva to ry , at the sides we see, firstly, the c ircu la r walls of the no r th -ea s te rn and
n o r t h -w e s t e r n ob se rva to ry w ith the ir flat dome s and the roofs of the two sou th e rn obse rva to ries, th en a
coup le of the sex tan t-stands (L and N) and the stone p illa rs (I and H) against the paling.
In the midd le , S tje rnebo rg is shown from the east. W e see the stone table, M, the sex tan t-stand , K,
1 R esenius, Inscriptiones Haffnienses, Hafn. 1668, p. 329, says that the secret passage w as comm enced in 1596 and refers to Ep. astron.
p. 257. But here the date is not m entioned.
2 The follow ing notes in the m eteorological diary may presum ably be referred to the
portraits in question: March 6. 1591. Rediit mgr. Petrus Helsingora cum pictore (The »painter« is doubtless Tobias Gemperle). April 23.
1591. Abiit famulus Pict[oris] opere confecto.
3 Harald Mortensen, Uraniborg og Stjerneborgs Ruiner indtil Nutiden (in the Review:
Fra Arkiv og Museum II. Kbhn. 1903—05, p. 479 f.).