In Budějovice
Hvězdárna a planetárium České Budějovice
Pěšky 22 min · Autem 6 min
The observatory and planetarium suit an evening or a day when weather is poor. The second public observatory in Bohemia arose in 1937 from a collection by amateur astronomers — no single patron. The planetarium still uses a projector from 1961.
The observatory and planetarium in České Budějovice stand in park Háječek by the river, born from a collection organised in the 1920s by amateur astronomers — membership fees and gifts, no patron. It opened 14 November 1937 as the second public observatory in Bohemia after Ondřejov; until the mid-1950s volunteers ran it. Inside stands a Zeiss projector from 1961, still working after more than sixty years; the institution also has a second, harder-to-reach site high on Kleť, where a married pair of astronomers discovered over a thousand asteroids.
Practical details
- Pěšky 22 min · Autem 6 min
- Opening hours: bez volné prohlídky — jen konkrétní pořady s rezervací přes hvezdarnacb.cz
On site
The dome with the telescope sits on the original functionalist building from the 1930s; the cylindrical planetarium extension with astronomical sgraffito by Jan Hala grows beside it. The garden was originally planted as botanical — you can walk it outside show times. In the planetarium hall the original Zeiss instrument from 1961 stands in the centre, not as a exhibit but as equipment still in use.