The observatory in history

The Institute of Astrophysics is located in the historical building of the second Vienna University Observatory. Since 1883, astronomers from all over the world have been conducting research in what is still the largest, structurally closed observatory in the world. The building and its instruments have had an exceptionally great influence in the history of astronomy throughout Europe, so much so that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has declared the observatory an Outstanding Astronomical Heritage (OAH).