Eise Jeltes Eisinga was a Frisian amateur astronomer who built the Eise Eisinga Planetarium in his house in Franeker, Dutch Republic. The orrery still exists and is the oldest functioning planetarium in the world.
Portrait by Willem Bartel van der Kooi [nl] (1827)
The orrery he built in his living room
The orrery in Franeker
The Royal Eise Eisinga Planetarium is an 18th-century orrery in Franeker, Friesland, Netherlands. It is currently a museum and open to the public. The orrery has been on the top 100 Dutch heritage sites list since 1990. In September 2023, it received the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the oldest working orrery in the world.
Front of the museum in 2007
The orrery
The mechanical works in the space above the ceiling that keep the mechanism in operation