Round Tower’s three-ton dome hoisted back into place in Copenhagen

The three-ton observatory dome at the Round Tower in Copenhagen has been lifted back onto the top of the tower after months of restoration, Danish public broadcaster DR reported.

The hoisting took place around noon on Thursday on Købmagergade in the city centre, where a large crowd gathered and applauded as the dome was set in place.

The dome has been given new copper cladding as part of the work, which aimed to stop water ingress and repair moisture damage in the tower’s observatory.

The re-hoisting occurred exactly 97 years after the dome was first lifted into position on 21 May 1929, a coincidence noted by Jeanette Bursche, director of the institution behind the tower.

“It is a bit poetic that it happens precisely on the date when it was hoisted up 97 years ago in two halves,” Bursche said. “Back then it was done by hand and without shielding.”

During the restoration, a time capsule containing selected items from 2026 and greetings from Danes was placed in the base beneath the tower’s 100-year-old telescope. The telescope is also being restored, repainted and having its lens replaced by experts from Germany. The capsule will not be opened for 100 years.

The observatory is expected to reopen to visitors in October 2026.