The two astronomical observatories of Kazan Federal University together constitute the 32nd UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia (and the 21st among cultural sites).
As the Russian Ministry of Culture concludes, “he embodies the unbroken thread of history, science and culture from his pioneering work in the evolution of astronomy, astrophysics and space geodesy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to the present day. “
Kazan University is one of the oldest in Russia and has two astronomical observatories: one is in the center of Kazan and the other on the outskirts. Both have preserved exclusive ancient observation instruments.
The first, the Astronomical Observatory of the city of Kazan, was founded in 1811 by the Austrian scientist Josef Litrov, first director and professor of the local astronomy department. In 1838, the construction of the permanent observatory on the university campus was completed. It is a semicircular observatorymansion with 3 vaulted towers, where the apparatus was installed.
However, over time it has become apparent that it is not very convenient to gaze at the stars in the city center due to the strong lighting. In the late 1890s, the eminent Russian astronomer Vasily Engelhardt donated to Kazan an exclusive apparatus of his Dresden Observatory. University.
The emperor, for his part, allocated a budget that allowed the construction of another observatory, this time outside the city. The suburban astronomical observatory, named after Engelhardt, opened in 1901. In 2013, a planetarium was inaugurated at the observatory.
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