Struve Geodetic Arc
It is a concept that started in the year 1816 and was carried out by an astronomer by the name of Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve. During the time of Struve’s existence, the distance between two points was measured by measuring poles.
However in order to accomplish the goal that Friedrich von Struve had envisioned - calculating the size of the earth - measuring poles would not be sufficient. To do this a more sophisticated tool would be needed.
Before long the Struve Geodetic Arc was created to do just that. The Struve Arc only ran through two counties, namely Russia and Sweden-Norway. But his surveys, that took place between the years of 1816 and 1855, calculated the very first measurement of a part of the meridian with staggering accuracy. It was the start of topographic mapping and a growing interest in earth sciences. The Struve Arc is a survey triangulation chain which has assisted scientists to map out certain areas and regions of their countries. The Struve Geodetic Arc is currently a joint venture between scientists of various countries who work together in the name of science. Today the Struve Arc survey chain runs through ten countries, namely Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Finland and Estonia, and stretches from Hammerfest (Norway) to the Ukrainian Black Sea.
Struve Geodetic Arc - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Struve Geodetic Arc is one of the most unusual UNESCO World Heritage sites that we've visited! It's part of a geographic survey line that stretches 4000km across 10 countries, from the northern tip of Norway to the Black Sea in Ukraine. It's from the early 19th century, when surveyor Wilhelm von Struve was tasked by the Russian Tsar with figuring out the precise size and shape of the earth. And as you'll see - he was very close!
For more Norwegian World Heritage sites:
For more scientific World Heritage sites:
Stevns Klint:
Gorham's Cave Complex:
Messel Pit Fossil Site:
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Lambert Segura - Struve Geodetic Arc
Lambert Segura - Struve Geodetic Arc
An infographic for the promotion and conservation of Struve Geodetic Arc.
Presented 2nd November 2018 (revised 6th January)
Glasgow School of Art - IxD year 3, Graphic Narratives project
UNESCO has (unofficially) commissioned an inter-country cooperation for the planning, opening and promotion of the Struve Geodetic Arc - World Heritage Trail. This trail runs from Fuglenes (Hammerfest, Finnmark) in Norway to Stara Nekrasivka (Nekrasivka, Odessa region) in Ukraine, for 2820km, along the 26th meridian east. It goes through 34 (of the 265) protected landmarks used as station points by Friedrich von Struve for its triangulation. One of the highlight of this trail is Tartu Old Observatory (in Estonia) where Struve started to conduct his research.
To make its promotion, it is ask to produce a short infographic, targeted to Adult trail walker, interested into science and world heritage.
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Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve was a German-Russian astronomer and geodesist from the nineteenth century. Professor and Director of the Tartu Observatory in Estonia, he is best known for his observations and studies on double stars and his interest in geodetic surveying.
Aged twenty-three and determined to measure the exact size and shape of the earth, he started surveying along the twenty-sixth east meridian, also named Tartu Meridian.
For almost forty years, Struve used triangulation to accurately measure a long segment of the meridian, stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea in Ukraine.
The Cambridge dictionary says that triangulation is: « the division of a map (or plan) into triangles for measurement purposes, or the calculation of positions and distances using this method. »
Struve used a total of 258 main triangles, with 265 different station points. UNESCO has classified 34 of these station points as world heritage. These station points take different forms such as small holes drilled in rock surfaces and sometimes filled with lead; cross-shaped engraved marks on rock surfaces; solid stone or brick with a marker inset; rock structures like cairns, with a central stone or brick marked by a drilled hole; buildings such as an astronomical observatory or the bell tower of a church; as well as monuments built on purpose to commemorate the station point and the arc.
According to UNESCO, a World Heritage site has an Outstanding Universal Value, either through its cultural or its natural features. Of ten ‘World Heritage criteria’, UNESCO retained three:
- Struve’s work represents a major step in modern geography
- by showcasing immovable and intangible station points, the site is an outstanding technological achievement
- it reflects key universal questions about the shape and size of the earth.
Struve Geodetic Arc is one of the first astronomical sites to be recognised as World Heritage. Also, it shows how intangible heritage can be preserved, a fundamental question in heritage conservation. It is also a symbol of international collaboration in science and heritage conservation.
It was nominated for World Heritage by ten countries. This means that all these countries choose to preserve this site together for present and future generations.
To protect and promote this major testimony to science, a trail spanning the station points through the 10 countries could be created: this trail would allow people to discover Struve’s work and to immerse themselves in the different cultures along the way.
Indeed, education, sustainable development and diversity are main goals of UNESCO’s World Heritage concept.
Finnmark 2010: the Struve Geodetic Arc
A short video showing the northernmost of the 34 remaining stations of the Struve Geodetic Arh, which stands at Fuglenes in Hammerfest. The Arc is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is part of a fascinating piece of history - a massive project of survey triangulation carried out by the German/Russian scientist Friedrich von Struve and supported by king Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and emperor Alexander I of Russia. Read more here:
Struve Geodetic Arc July 20 2008
Struve-Meridian-Säule in Hammerfest
Struve-Meridian-Säule. Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve war ein russischer Forscher (mit unverkennbarer deutscher Abstammung), der zwischen 1816 bis 1855 mit geodädischen Methoden die Erde genau vermaß und dabei die Vermutung Newtons bestätigte, dass die Erde keine ideale Kugel sei.
Lesen Sie mehr bei
UNESCO (STRUVE GEODETIC ARC)
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Music Credit
Memories That You Call (Feat. Monsoonsiren) | ODESZA
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World Heritage List Rock Art of Alta Norway 2008
Finnmark 2010: Finnmark from above
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Patrimônio da Humanidade pela UNESCO desde 1979.
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Title: Tobu - Sound of Goodbye [NCS Release] (The music was provided by NCS)
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Viaje a Noruega Oslo, Opera Oslo 2
Museo de Arte Rupestre de Alta, Noruega