In its heyday, the Old Observatory of the University of Tartu was one of the most advanced astronomical research facilities in the world. F. G. W. Struve, J. H. Mädler and E. J. Öpik are some of the most famous scientists who have worked here. Struve’s activities cemented the observatory’s place in history of science – the observatory is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as a point of the Struve Geodetic Arc and Struve also acquired the Fraunhofer refractor, which at the time was the best telescope in the world. In its contemporary exhibition the Old Observatory has excellent old instrument collections, informative touch-screens and exiting interactive exhibits appealing to both specialist and younger members of the family. The Observatory has the only optical-mechanical planetarium in Estonia and a telescope tower with a view over green Tartu.

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