Koenigsberg Observatory (; obs. code: 058) was an astronomical

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

and research facility which was attached to the Albertina University in

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

, what is now Kaliningrad, Russia. The observatory was destroyed by Royal Air Force bombs in August 1944 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Only the reduit (interior of the building) remained from the bastion. The building is a semicircular two-storey building with a brick vault. Nowadays, the building is considered a regional architectural monument.

Description

It was founded in 1810 and started working in 1813. Well-known astronomers who used the observatory included Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander, Arthur Auwers and Hermann Struve. In 1838, the parallax of a star was determined successfully for first time by Bessel using a heliometer of Fraunhofer.

Gallery

ID003728 B161 Sternwarte.jpg, Koenigsberg Observatory Koenigsberg observatory foto.jpg, Observatory (unknown date) Koenigsberg observatory.jpg, Observatory in 1830 Kaliningrad - Astronomical Bastion.jpg, Ruins of observatory in 2021

External links

Koenigsberg observatory, illustration
sciencephoto.com University of Königsberg Defunct astronomical observatories Buildings and structures in Germany destroyed during World War II 1810 establishments in Prussia {{observatory-stub