Urania, Vienna

Urania is a public educational institute and observatory in Vienna, Austria.

Urania
Urania at sunset
LocationVienna, Austria
Coordinates48°12′42″N 16°23′01″E
Established1910
Websitewww.urania-sternwarte.at
Location of Urania
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

Urania Observatory (German: Urania Sternwarte) was built in 1909[1] according to the plans of Art Nouveau style architect Max Fabiani (a student of Otto Wagner) at the outlet of the Wien River and was opened in 1910 by Franz Joseph I of Austria as an educational facility with a public observatory. It was named after the Muse Urania who represents Astronomy.

During World War II, the Urania was severely damaged and the dome with the observatory was totally destroyed. After its reconstruction, it was reopened in 1957. The observatory itself has been continually improved technically over the years.

Though it now serves different functions, the Urania continues to be a public observatory. Presently the Urania also has seminar rooms in which wide-ranging classes and lectures are given, a movie theater that screens at the annual Viennale movie festival and a puppet theater created originally by actor Hans Kraus. It also hosts a restaurant, and is the oldest public observatory in Austria.[2]

References
  1. "Urania Observatory". travelguide.michelin.com. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  2. "Ringstrasse architecture Vienna". Secret Vienna Tours. Retrieved 2020-06-10.


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