Cointe Observatory

Perched in a former private park in the Cointe district of Liège, Belgium, the Cointe Observatory is one of the city's most distinctive 19th-century landmarks and today serves as the base for a local amateur astronomy society.

About Cointe Observatory

The Observatoire de Cointe was built between 1881 and 1882 by the University of Liège, to designs by architect Lambert Noppius, in a striking medieval revival style. It stands on grounds that once belonged to the wealthy industrialist Vanderheyden de Hauzeur family.

History

For more than a century the building housed the university's Institute of Astrophysics, later the Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, until the institute relocated to the Sart-Tilman campus in 2002. Since then the historic observatory has been occupied by the Société Astronomique de Liège, which has overseen its continued use and renovation.

Location & getting there

Cointe Observatory sits in the Cointe hilltop district on the southern edge of Liège, in the Wallonia region of Belgium, within easy reach of the city centre.

Visiting Cointe Observatory

The site is used by the Société Astronomique de Liège; check the society's website for current opening times and events before you travel, as access can vary with the observatory's ongoing renovation.

See your named star from here

If you've named a star with Star Register, its exact right ascension and declination can be pointed to by any properly equipped telescope, including ones used by local astronomy societies like the one based at Cointe. Look up your star's coordinates any time in our star catalogue.