Volgograd Planetarium

The Volgograd planetarium was a gift from the workers of the German Democratic Republic to the Soviet people on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Stalin . German workers wished that the star house was built in the city of world fame - Stalingrad . It is worth noting that the building is located at the end of Peace Street , like a temple, and, symbolically, on the street, which was one of the first restored streets, after the devastating Battle of Stalingrad .

All construction, finishing work, expensive materials and the best equipment at the time of construction were donated by the working people of the GDR to the Soviet people and residents of Stalingrad.

In March 1951, the newspaper Stalingradskaya Pravda wrote:

In the summer of 1954, construction work inside the building was completed. The ceremonial opening of the planetarium took place on September 19, 1954 ^[1] .

Over 56 years, more than 32 million people visited the Volgograd Planetarium ^[2] .

September 22, 2009 Volgograd Planetarium celebrated its 55th anniversary ^[3] .

The star hall, accommodating 450 spectators, is equipped with a domed screen and a large Planetarium made in the GDR . The device has 99 projectors, with which you can simultaneously see more than 6 thousand stars and planets.

The projection apparatus has a variety of technical capabilities. With its help, you can observe the movement of the sky , the view of the starry sky from anywhere in the world at various points in time, as well as such natural phenomena as the rising and setting of the sun , aurora , flights of comets and meteors . The ability to simulate flights in outer space allows viewers to observe the starry sky from the surface of the moon or any planet, for example, to be near Jupiter , or to see the solar system from the side. Using a special device, zoom , viewers can also observe constellations with varying degrees of approximation.

A 12-inch Carl Zeiss refractor telescope with a focal length of 5000 mm and 800x magnification is installed in the 26-meter tower of the observatory . Using this optical instrument, under the guidance of competent specialists, visitors can observe:

• Sun and spots on it (daytime observation)
• The moon with its craters , mountains, "seas"
• Planets Venus , Mars , Jupiter , Saturn . Binary and multiple star systems, star clusters, more notable nebulae and nearby galaxies .

Lectures are held daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On the planetarium is an astronomical site . It is part of a park with numerous trees , flower beds, lawns and flower beds. Astronomical instruments are installed here. Among them are such ancient as sundial , armillary sphere , Earth globe , solar installation . Visual aids have conversations and excursions.

• In the building itself, on the bas-relief of each of the fixtures, the number 70 is inscribed, meaning that this building is a gift from the people of the GDR to I.V. Stalin on the eve of his 70th birthday.
• In the lobby , at the entrance, there is a large mosaic portrait of Stalin by V.N. Arakelov , made of mother of pearl, jasper and malachite, as well as precious stones - Ural gems, hidden in the 60s and restored in the 1990s.
• In the planetarium is the Foucault pendulum .

• Official site of the Volgograd planetarium
• Volgograd planetarium on the site "Astrogalaxy".
• Volgograd planetarium on the Miroznay website.