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The innovative design principles of Helsinki and Kazan observatories were
adopted in Russia for the design of the Pulkovo Central Observatory in St. Petersburg
(1839) by the architect Alexander Brüllow (1798–1877). Much has been published
about the Pulkovo Observatory (Abalakin, 2009; Krisciunas, 1988a: 99–119). Its
architecture was especially formative for the nineteenth century: apart from the
dominant central dome, it features also two smaller domes, for a refractor and a
heliometer, and bears slits for the meridian circles in the interspaces. Five generations of the Struve family of astronomers, starting with Friedrich Georg Wilhelm
Struve (1793–1864) and Otto Wilhelm von Struve (1819–1905), developed the
Pulkovo Observatory in the nineteenth century to the leading institution in Europe.
The Pulkovo prototype of observatory architecture for the nineteenth century can
be found for example in Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa (1861, architect JeanFrançois Colson); Yerkes Observatory, USA (1897, architect Henry Ives Cobb);
Georgetown College Observatory, Washington, D.C., USA (1841–1844, Greek
Revival style, architect and astronomer James Curley). Even for the Astrophysical
Observatory (APO) Potsdam (1874/1879), as well as for the “Deutsches Museum”
in Munich (1925) this characteristic front was chosen.
5 Modern Observatories, Twentieth Century
5.1 Modern Observatories in an Astronomy Park
In 1882 there existed 81 observatories (privately and publicly financed) in Europe,
including 29 in Germany, 14 in England, 19 in Russia and, in addition, 28 in
America. Nevertheless, around 1900 many new modern observatories were built
and now are still constructed all around the world. In 1907, a publication of the
Observatoire Royal de Belgique listed 467 sites—both public and private. Of these,
293 were in Europe, 113 in North America, 18 in Asia, 17 in Latin America, 15 in
Oceania and 11 in Africa. Many are rather small, thus here I would like to discuss
only the most significant examples.
Around 1900, a big change in astronomical research occurred. The transition
from classical astronomy to the rise of modern astrophysics (Wolfschmidt, 1997),
which became also apparent in the change of instrumentation, which caused a
change in architecture.
For example, old instruments included the meridian circle, refractor, heliometer
and time keeping instruments (like in Pulkovo, St. Petersburg, and other observatories in the nineteenth century). The new era of instruments since the 1860s or since
1900 with the beginning of observational astrophysics for photometry, photography
and spectroscopy/spectral analysis (also solar physics) involved tools like astrograph, portrait camera, reflecting telescope, Schmidt telescope, photometer, spectrograph, and several astrophysical laboratory instruments. They are important in
the context of the application of an observatory for the UNESCO World Heritage
G. Wolfschmidt
The innovative design principles of Helsinki and Kazan observatories were
adopted in Russia for the design of the Pulkovo Central Observatory in St. Petersburg
(1839) by the architect Alexander Brüllow (1798–1877). Much has been published
about the Pulkovo Observatory (Abalakin, 2009; Krisciunas, 1988a: 99–119). Its
architecture was especially formative for the nineteenth century: apart from the
dominant central dome, it features also two smaller domes, for a refractor and a
heliometer, and bears slits for the meridian circles in the interspaces. Five generations of the Struve family of astronomers, starting with Friedrich Georg Wilhelm
Struve (1793–1864) and Otto Wilhelm von Struve (1819–1905), developed the
Pulkovo Observatory in the nineteenth century to the leading institution in Europe.
The Pulkovo prototype of observatory architecture for the nineteenth century can
be found for example in Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa (1861, architect JeanFrançois Colson); Yerkes Observatory, USA (1897, architect Henry Ives Cobb);
Georgetown College Observatory, Washington, D.C., USA (1841–1844, Greek
Revival style, architect and astronomer James Curley). Even for the Astrophysical
Observatory (APO) Potsdam (1874/1879), as well as for the “Deutsches Museum”
in Munich (1925) this characteristic front was chosen.
5 Modern Observatories, Twentieth Century
5.1 Modern Observatories in an Astronomy Park
In 1882 there existed 81 observatories (privately and publicly financed) in Europe,
including 29 in Germany, 14 in England, 19 in Russia and, in addition, 28 in
America. Nevertheless, around 1900 many new modern observatories were built
and now are still constructed all around the world. In 1907, a publication of the
Observatoire Royal de Belgique listed 467 sites—both public and private. Of these,
293 were in Europe, 113 in North America, 18 in Asia, 17 in Latin America, 15 in
Oceania and 11 in Africa. Many are rather small, thus here I would like to discuss
only the most significant examples.
Around 1900, a big change in astronomical research occurred. The transition
from classical astronomy to the rise of modern astrophysics (Wolfschmidt, 1997),
which became also apparent in the change of instrumentation, which caused a
change in architecture.
For example, old instruments included the meridian circle, refractor, heliometer
and time keeping instruments (like in Pulkovo, St. Petersburg, and other observatories in the nineteenth century). The new era of instruments since the 1860s or since
1900 with the beginning of observational astrophysics for photometry, photography
and spectroscopy/spectral analysis (also solar physics) involved tools like astrograph, portrait camera, reflecting telescope, Schmidt telescope, photometer, spectrograph, and several astrophysical laboratory instruments. They are important in
the context of the application of an observatory for the UNESCO World Heritage
G. Wolfschmidt