Köln observatory

Köln observatory is a listed astronomical facility in Cologne, Germany, a city with a long amateur-astronomy tradition and more than one public observatory to explore.

About Köln observatory

Detailed public records for this specific listing are limited. What is well documented is that Cologne is home to two notable public observatories, giving a sense of the city's astronomical scene.

Observatories in Cologne

The Public Observatory Cologne (Volkssternwarte Köln) is a private astronomical institution founded in 1922. It operates a 60cm refractor known as the "Cologne Large Telescope" (CLT), installed in 2012, said to be the largest freely accessible telescope in North Rhine-Westphalia. Separately, the Blücherstraße Observatory was built between 1960 and 1963 at a secondary school in Cologne-Nippes. It has two domes: a tower dome housing a 40cm mirror telescope for visual and photographic work, and a flat-roof dome with a Zeiss refractor, an 8-inch Celestron telescope, and a Schmidt camera; the site has also housed a planetarium since 1966.

Location & getting there

Cologne sits in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and is well served by rail, making its observatories accessible as part of a wider city visit.

Visiting Köln observatory

Since Cologne has more than one public observatory, check the specific facility's own website for current opening hours and tour arrangements before travelling.

See your named star from here

Cologne's public observatories, with their large accessible telescopes, are a good place to try to find a star named through Star Register. Browse the naming packages or look up its coordinates in the star catalogue before your visit.