Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius 1580-1626)

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 24, 2022

1. Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius, 1580-1626) Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Hier woonde:
Willebrord Snel van Royen
(Snellius 1580-1626)

Op deze plaats bepaalde hij omstreeks 1615 als eerste in de geschiedenis van de landmeetkunde een punt door achterwaartse insnijding.

(English translation:)

Here lived Willebrord Snel van Royen ("Snellius", 1580-1626).

At this location, around 1615, he was the first in the history of surveying to determine a point by resection.

Erected 2005.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1615.

Location. 52° 9.306′ N, 4° 29.364′ E. Marker is in Leiden, Zuid-Holland (South Holland). Marker is on Doezastraat, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Doezastraat 2a, Leiden, Zuid-Holland 2311 HB, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Drukkerij en Kantoor Uitgeversmaatschappij A.W. Sijthoff (within shouting distance of this marker); De Buskruitramp / The Gunpowder Disaster (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Het koudste plekje op aarde / The Coldest Place on Earth

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(about 120 meters away); Heike Kamerlingh Onnes: Vloeibarr Helium / Liquid Helium (about 120 meters away); Lodewijkskerk / St. Louis Church (about 180 meters away); Philips van Leyden (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Sint Pieters- of Van der Speckhofje / Van der Speck Almshouse (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Jan Steen (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leiden.

Also see . . .
1. Willebrord Snellius (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: "Willebrord Snellius (born Willebrord Snel van Royen) (13 June 1580 – 30 October 1626) was a Dutch astronomer and mathematician, a.k.a. Snell. His name is usually associated with the law of refraction of light known as Snell's law."

(Submitted on August 4, 2022.)

2. Snellius–Pothenot problem (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: "The Snellius–Pothenot problem is a problem in planar surveying. Given three known points A, B and C, an observer at an unknown point P observes that the segment AC subtends an angle α\alpha and the segment CB subtends an angle β \beta ; the problem is to determine the position of the point
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 24, 2022

2. Willebrord Snel van Royen (Snellius 1580-1626) Marker - wide view
The marker is visible here between the two windows on the left.
P....Since it involves the observation of known points from an unknown point, the problem is an example of resection. Historically it was first studied by Snellius, who found a solution around 1615."

(Submitted on August 4, 2022.)

Marker inset - resection image. Click for full size.

3. Marker inset - resection

Marker inset showing the angles between the Peters Church, City Hall, and Highland Church. As the Wikipedia article on Snellius notes, "By necessity Snellius's high points were nearly all church spires. There were hardly any other tall buildings at that time in the west of the Netherlands."

Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 4, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 220 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 4, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.