Erfurt public observatory

Housed in a former gun turret at the Cyriaksburg fortress in Erfurt, Germany, the Erfurt Public Observatory has welcomed stargazers since 1950.

About Erfurt public observatory

Known locally as the Volkssternwarte Erfurt, the observatory opened in July 1950 as part of Erfurt's first garden show. It occupies a former gun turret within the Cyriaksburg fortress, now part of the egapark grounds near the Japanese Garden.

History

Its original telescope, a 2.5-meter-long instrument, came from the Humboldt School and had survived bombing damage in 1945. The observatory's rotating dome, 5 meters in diameter, was the first of its kind produced by VEB Carl Zeiss Jena after the Second World War. During the East German era, it served tens of thousands of visitors a year, and it continues to operate as a public astronomy facility today.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located in Erfurt, in the German state of Thuringia, within the egapark grounds near the Japanese Garden — an easy, centrally located visit within the city.

Visiting Erfurt public observatory

As a long-running public observatory, Erfurt public observatory is used to hosting visitors for stargazing sessions. Check the official website for current opening hours and event schedules before you go, since these can change with the seasons.

See your named star from here

A public observatory with over seventy years of experience welcoming visitors is a natural place to look for a star of your own. If you've named a star through Star Register, bring its coordinates from our catalogue and ask staff here to help you find it.