Urania

Standing where the Wien River meets the city, Urania is Austria's oldest public observatory, an Art Nouveau landmark in Vienna that has combined stargazing with public life for over a century.

About Urania

Urania takes its name from the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology, and the building lives up to it: alongside its observatory dome, it houses seminar rooms, a cinema that screens during the Viennale film festival, a puppet theatre, and a restaurant, making it as much a cultural hub as a place to look at the stars.

History

Urania was built in 1909 to designs by the Art Nouveau architect Max Fabiani, a student of Otto Wagner, and opened in 1910 by Emperor Franz Joseph I as an educational facility with a public observatory attached. It was severely damaged during the Second World War, when its dome was destroyed, before being rebuilt and reopened in 1957. The building also holds a memorial room to the Kindertransport organised by the Dutch resistance figure Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer, who helped rescue 600 Jewish children from Vienna in December 1938.

Location & getting there

Urania sits at the outlet of the Wien River in central Vienna, Austria, a short walk from the city's historic core and easy to combine with a day exploring the capital.

Visiting Urania

Urania continues to operate as a public observatory alongside its cinema, restaurant, and educational programmes; check the official website for current opening hours and event schedules before you visit.

See your named star from here

A telescope at a public observatory like Urania can be aimed at the precise coordinates of any star, including one carrying a name you've chosen. Name a star today, or explore the catalogue of stars already named by others.