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Celestial globe on the move: Kassel masterpiece leaves Brake Castle!
Restorer Michael Beck packs celestial globe from Weser Renaissance Museum in Kassel; Special exhibition attracts visitors.
Celestial globe on the move: Kassel masterpiece leaves Brake Castle!
What an exciting day at the Weser Renaissance Museum at Brake Castle! Restorer Michael Beck from Kassel was on site today and took the impressive celestial globe out of the display case to prepare it for return transport. The current special exhibition “Everything but earthly. Great moments in astronomy” has attracted over 8,000 visitors and is now being extended until June 22nd. Another highlight: two celestial globes and a proportional compass were returned to the lender Hessen Kassel Heritage, which means that top-class exhibits are leaving the site to be appreciated elsewhere.
Thomas Senke, a technician at the museum, offered to help with packing and transporting the loaned items back. The works of art should of course be treated with the greatest care. Before the return transport, climate boxes were placed in the exhibition room. These are designed to equalize the inside and outside temperature and humidity before packaging. This ensures that the sensitive objects survive transport undamaged.
Caution is the mother of the china box
Beck didn't take any chances and put on black gloves to carefully remove the celestial globe. After all, it dates back to the 16th century and needs to be checked for damage. Delicate parts were protected with tissue paper so that they do not get scratched during the journey. After a thorough inspection, the celestial globe was safely stored in the climate box, expertly sealed and every detail recorded.
The next day the valuable objects will travel to Kassel on a special art transport. Such precautions show how important it is to preserve culture and history. And it's not the only reason for the museum to be happy: work is already underway on a new special exhibition on the subject of artificial intelligence, which is sure to spark enthusiasm in a similar way.
Alchemy and magic
While Brake Castle is all about astronomy and its fascinating exhibits, it is also worth taking a look back at the special exhibition “Alchemy – Magic or Natural Science?”, which took place in 2022. This explored the search for the mystical “Philosopher’s Stone” and the role of the alchemists in an entertaining way. From paintings to sculptures to genuine Böttger porcelain and ruby glass with gold content, there was everything that made the hearts of science lovers beat faster.
Of course, historical connections to alchemists in Lippe and at Brake Castle were also a central theme. Count Simon VI, who was enthusiastic about the topic, even took an active part in setting up an alchemist's laboratory. Historian Georg Heil combed through archives and researched the life stories of Lippe alchemists, which gave the exhibition an incomparable historical value.
There were also great hands-on programs for younger visitors, such as the “Witch’s Multiplication Table” for kindergartens or “Gold Counterfeiting for Beginners!” for students from the 5th grade. This was not only fun, but also aroused interest in the exciting world of science.
If you would like to find out more about the current and past exhibitions, you can take a look around [here](https://museum-schloss-brake.de/sonder exhibition/) or take a virtual tour of the museum. Such efforts to keep culture alive show that there is a lot going on in Hesse. Let's look forward to the upcoming events and exhibitions!