XIVth International Symposium for the Study of Globes 2019
–Zurich and St. Gallen, Switzerland
For the first time, the International Coronelli Society for the Study of Globes is organizing a conference on globe studies in Switzerland. The conference venue is the new auditorium of the Landesmuseum Zürich (National Museum Zurich). Along with St. Gallen, the city of Zurich surprises with a few still relatively unknown objects of significance for globe research and/or the history of technology. The venue is located opposite the central railway station, near the historical old city. The transport hub has good links to international networks, with the airport conveniently reachable by train in fifteen minutes.
In addition to the Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum (Swiss National Museum) and the Zentralbibliothek Zürich (Central Library – the cantonal, city and university library of Zurich), the Stiftsbibliothek St. Gallen (Abbey Library of St. Gallen) has also been involved in organizing the conference. All three institutions have interesting objects that will be presented to conference participants during exclusive tours: the St. Gallen Globe (1576), a celestial globe by Jost Bürgi (1594) from St. Gallen, and a globe-goblet by Abraham Gessner (after 1600) from Zurich at the National Museum. The replica of the St. Gallen Globe (2009), which was produced following the ten-year-long dispute about cultural goods between St. Gallen and Zurich, will be shown along with the famous plan of the abbey in St. Gallen (c. 825) during an excursion to the Abbey District in St. Gallen (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site).
During the conference, the Zurich Central Library is presenting the special exhibition Kosmos in der Kammer, in which the production of globes in the sixteenth century is interpreted as the essence of stately art chamber collections. Central to the exhibition are a newly discovered pair of Mercator globes (1541/1551), a three-meter-high long-case astronomical clock from 1648 (heliocentric) by Michael Zingg from Zurich, a sundial ‘camouflaged’ as a signet ring of 1525, which belonged to the reformer Heinrich Bullinger, and another globe-goblet by Abraham Gessner (c. 1600).
Preliminary program
- 2 October: registration 'Early Birds', guided tour through Zurich, informal gathering in the restaurant Commihalle, Stampfenbachstrasse 8 (near National Museum, each person pays for him- or herself)
- 3 October: papers globe related guided tour through the permanent exhibition of the National Museum Zurich (exclusive preview of the newly designed exhibition area) visit to the exhibition Kosmos in der Kammer in the Zurich Central Library
- 4 October: papers visit to the exhibition World Picture / Welt-Bild at the ETH Zurich symposium dinner
- 5 October: trip to St. Gallen, visit to the St. Gallen globe (replica) and the famous St Gall Abbey plan in the abbey library
E-mail: vincenzo@coronelli.org