Description

Geographical position 

Kuffner Observatory, Johann-Staud-Straße 10, 1160 Wien, ├ûsterreich -- Vienna-Ottakring, Austria

See also: Observatories in Vienna in the 18th and 19th Century:

• Marinoni Observatory, Mölkerbastei, Vienna (1720s)
• Vienna Jesuit Observatory (1733)
• Old Vienna University Observatory (1754--1879), today Austrian Academy of Sciences
• Vienna University Observatory, Wien-Währing (1879)

Location 

Latitude 48.212859 N, Longitude 16.291362 E,

Elevation 302 m above mean sea level.

IAU observatory code 

--

Description of (scientific/cultural/natural) heritage 

The beer brewer Moriz Edler von Kuffner (1854--1939) was a generous patron of the Kuffner Observatory’s construction, equipment, and operation, and thus created a private research institute of highest reputation.

In 1884/86 (extended in 1890/92 with the Heliometer dome), the Kuffner Observatory in Vienna-Ottakring was built -- West of the Ottakring cemetery -- as a private research institute according to the plans of the k.k. Baurat (building consultant as a civil servant) Franz Ritter von Neumann jun. (1844--1905); it has been a listed building since 1977. The main building has cross shape (25m x 19m) with the dome in the center in the 3rd floor, to the West the meridian circle in the first floor, to the North the vertical circle also in the first floor.




In the Heliometer dome was the library in the first floor, the lecture room in the cellar. In 1892, Moriz von Kuffner decided to build an additional flat for the second assistant in a wing of the building to the north, and, about 100m east of the observatory, a villa for the director (Johann Staud-Straße 8, now privately owned). The total built-up area of the observatory, including the outbuildings, was about 1,150 square metres, and the construction costs amounted to about 170,000 guilders.

The founder Moriz von Kuffner appointed prominent astronomers; its first director was Norbert Herz (1858--1927).
Internationally renowned scientists worked at the Kuffner Observatory (1886 to 1913), such as Leo Anton Carl de Ball (1853--1916), Samuel Oppenheim (1857--1928), Johannes Hartmann (1865--1936), Gustav Eberhard (1867--1940), Carl Wilhelm Wirtz (1876--1939), and the most important astronomer and first theoretical astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild (1873--1916).

Scientific Projects (1886 to 1913)

In the beginning, since 1886, stellar position measurements, time keeping, stellar parallaxe, were in the focus of scientific research.

Around 1869, the Astronomische Gesellschaft (AG, Astronomical Society) initiated the AGK star catalogues, AGK1 for the declination +80° to -2°. (published between 1890 to 1908/12). Sixteen observatories from different countries participated in the work, which more than 100,000 stars; sometimes observatories had to be replaced by others. had to be replaced by others: Kazan / Russia, Berlin, Christiana (Oslo) / Norway, Helsingfors (Helsinki) / Finland, Gotha, Harvard Cambridge / USA, Bonn, Chicago / USA!Lund / Sweden, Leiden / Netherlands, Leipzig, Albany (New York) / USA, Nicolayev / Ukraine, Strasbourg, Vienna, Washington / USA, Algiers (Algeria) / French North Africa. The declination zones were extended with the help of La Plata and Córdoba, Argentina, extended to -80°.
In this Zone Catalogue AGK1 of the AG, 8,468 stars in the declination zone -6° to -10° were measured in Kuffner Observatory with the Meridian Circle, and published in the observatory’s publications. Finally, after 40 years of work, a standard work for celestial surveying was produced with more than 100,000 stars in 15 volumes, published in 1908, the Katalog der Astronomischen Gesellschaft, 1. Abteilung (AGK1). Only in 1912, the Cambridge Observatory published it’s results as the last southern zone.

In 1896, Leo de Ball initiated studies on errors regarding the heliometer scales, the focus and dependencies on temperature. The results were used to start a major stellar parallax program with 252 stars from 2 mag to 6 mag. De Ball convinced other observatories like Remeis Observatory Bamberg and Göttingen Observatory, as well as the Yale Observatory to join in on this programme. From 1899 to 1908, the Kuffner Observatory published 16 stellar parallaxes -- that was about one eighth of all parallaxes measured worldwide. At this time, only a total of about 100 stellar (including those published by the Kuffner Observatory) parallaxes were known and published.



With Karl Schwarzschild the theoretical astrophysics started in Kuffner Observatory. He intensely used the large refractor in order to advance the use of photography, an astrophysical method, in astrometric work. He developed the method to determine the absolute magnitude of stars from photographic exposures. During this work, he discovered the Schwarzschild Law, regarding the accurate calculation of optical density in photographic material.

A number of international institutions decided to exchange publications with the Kuffner Observatory, namely the "k. Akademie der Wissenschaften", Vienna, the "Académie royal de Belgique", the "Royal Society" London, the "Royal Astronomical Society", the "Astronomical Society of the Pacific" (PASP), the "Societ├á degli spettroscopisti italiana", the "Circolo matematico di Palermo", the "Recheninstitut der Kgl. Sternwarte", Berlin, the "Specula Vaticana", and the observatories Havard at Cambridge USA, Cambridge UK, Paris, Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam, and Pulkovo, St. Petersburg.

Instrumentation

Moriz von Kuffner had his observatory equipped with high-quality instruments. The four main instruments were made by A. Repsold & Söhne of Hamburg (mount), Steinheil & Söhne of Munich (optics):
- the Large Refractor, 1884/86, objective 1887 -- it is still the third largest refracting telescope in Austria today,
- the Meridian Circle, 1884 -- the largest meridian circle in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, used with an impersonal micrometer
- the Vertical circle, 1890/1891 and
- the Heliometer, 1894 -- it is still the largest instrument of its kind in the world.
Thanks also to the instrumental equipment, the observatory developed into an internationally well-known research institute.

Development since WWI (1913 to 1946)

In 1916, Leo de Ball, then director of the observatory, died. With the beginning of the World War I, the financial situation of the owners, the Kuffner family, deteriorated, so that the observatory had to be closed in 1915. After the Nazi occupation of Austria, the Kuffner family, threatened as Jews, hastily sold their brewery in 1938 and emigrated to Switzerland, where Moriz von Kuffner died in 1939. The observatory was expropriated by the National Socialists and used for party political purposes. In 1950, the Kuffner Observatory was transferred back to the Kuffner family.

Kuffner Observatory as public observatory (since 1947)

In 1947, the Kuffner Observatory was reopened under the direction of Walter Josef Jaschek (1912--1980) and transformed into an institute of adult education and public observatory. The Astronomische Fachgruppe (Astronomical Section) organized public lectures.

The Kuffner Observatory is considered a rarity in the history of science and an important cultural heritage.

History 

Instruments

• High precision pendulum clock "Urban No. 18", mainly used for the meridian and vertical circle observations, connected to the Chronograph in the meridian room, but also with the secondary clocks in the Large Refractor and Heliometer dome.
• High precision pendulum clock "Kutter Nr. 47"
• High precision pendulum clock "Riefler Nr. 3" (1890)
  
  
• Position filament micrometer in order to precisely measure small angles, when using the Heliometer or the Large Refractor.
• Mire building for adjusting the merdian and vertical circle -- it was left of the entrance in the garden.
• Apparatus for measuring the photographic plates
  
  
• Meridian Circle (13.2cm, 150cm), mounting by A. Repsold & Söhne of Hamburg, optics by Steinheil & Söhne of Munich (1884) -- it was the largest meridian circle in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy,
• Large Refractor (27cm, 340cm), mounting by A. Repsold & Söhne of Hamburg, optics by Steinheil & Söhne of Munich (1884-1886), objective (1887) -- it is still the third largest refracting telescope in Austria today,
• Vertical circle (8.1cm, 120cm), mounting by A. Repsold & Söhne of Hamburg, optics by Steinheil & Söhne of Munich (1890/91), a relatively rare instrument for the observation in the first prime vertical
• Heliometer (21.7cm, 300cm), mounting by A. Repsold & Söhne of Hamburg, optics by Steinheil & Söhne of Munich (1894) -- it is still the largest instrument of its kind in the world.

Directors

• 1887 to 1891 -- Norbert Herz (1858--1927)
• 1891 to 1916 -- Leo de Ball (1853--1916)
  
  
• 1947 to 1980 -- Walter Josef Jaschek (1912--1980)
• 1980 to 1982 -- Werner W. Weiss

State of preservation 

In 1950, the Kuffner Observatory was sold by the Kuffner family to the building cooperative HEIM. Then in 1987, it was sold to the City of Vienna, which renovated it from 1989 to 1995 (about some 2 Million Euros were spent for this project). In October 1995, new management and educational operations began under the direction of the Ottakring Adult Education Centre.

Already in 1977, the building was listed as a historical monument (BDA: 41200, Objekt-ID: 41669). Together with the central parts of the nearby Starchant settlement, it also forms the Kuffner Observatory building protection zone defined by the City of Vienna.
This step prevented existing plans to break down the observatory and to build three residential buildings from being executed.

In addition to the well restored buildings, the original instrumentation is also refurbished and preserved in perfect shape -- and they are operational for the public star gazing. In 2018, thanks to a generous grant by the great-grandchildren of Moritz von Kuffner, both the Large Refractor and the Heliometer received a major maintenance and restauration service.

The famous <i>Repsold observing chair</i> of the Heliometer was restored (2022) with funds from the "Eberstadt Kuffner Global Fund" and a grant from the "Bundesdenkmalamt" (Federal Monuments Office), cf. <a href="http://kuffner-sternwarte.at/2021/Heliometer%20fahrstuhl%20HD%20NG.m4v" target="_blank">video</a>

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Comparison with related/similar sites 

The Kuffner Observatory in Vienna-Ottakring is a highly appreciated private research institute until about 1900. Almost no private observatory achieved such scientific significance.

The building has the cross shape layout like many observatories in the early 19th century (mainly Greek cross):
Real Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid (1790), Turku (1819), Berlin, New Observatory (1835), Bonn (1844), Athens (1846), and much later Quito (1873), as well as Vienna University Observatory (1883) (Latin cross).

Threats or potential threats 

no threats

Present use 

Since 1947, the Kuffner Observatory is an institute of adult education and a public observatory -- VHS Wien, Zweigstelle der Volkshochschule Ottakring in den Verband Wiener Volksbildung (branch of the Ottakring Adult Education Centre in the Association of Viennese Public Education), and Verein Kuffner Sternwarte (Association Kuffner Observatory).

Astronomical relevance today 

The observatory is involved in various national as well as international projects. Some of the topics are:

• CCD astronomy is implemented to the observatory’s historic refractor. This project should illustrate the modern methods of observational astronomy.
• Operation of the INES (Astronomy in the UV Range) database as a "National Host" in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) in Villa Franca in Spain,
• History of science at the observatory -- reappraisal of the history of the observatory and its astronomically significant research around 1900. Establishment of a museum on the history of the observatory and its founder Moriz von Kuffner,
• Restoration of the observatory’s astronomical instruments -- in cooperation with specialist restorers and the Federal Monuments Office in Vienna.
  
  The Kuffner Observatory is connected to the Austrian section of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), an international organisation dedicated to the fight against light pollution and designating light protection areas. This is how the Grossmugl Starlight Oasis is supported.

References

Bibliography (books and published articles) 

• Angetter, Daniela Claudia & Nora Pärr: Jaschek, Walter Josef. In: Angetter, Daniela Claudia & Nora Pärr: Blick zurück ins Universum: die Geschichte der österreichischen Astronomie in Biografien. Wien: Fassbaender 2009, p. 148f.Ball, Leo de: Publikationen der v. Kuffner’schen Sternwarte in Wien, Band 3 (1894).
  
  
• Czeike, Felix: Historisches Lexikon Wien. Wien 1994. Band 3, p. 630.
  
  
• Einhorn, Klaudia: Familie Kuffner. In: Publikationen der von Kuffner’schen Sternwarte in Wien, VII. Band. Herausgegeben vom Verein Kuffner-Sternwarte. Wien 2017.
  
  
• Firneis, Maria G.; Haupt, Hermann & Peter Holl: Sternwarten in ├ûsterreich. ├ûsterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften 2005.
  
  
• Graff, Kasimir: Manuskripte der Rede zur Eröffnung der Kuffner-Sternwarte als Volkssternwarte. 21. März 1947. Archiv der Kuffner-Sternwarte. In: Weiss &  Vyoral-Tschapka: Die Kuffner-Sternwarte in Wien-Ottakring (1982), p. 615-646.
  
  
• Herz, Norbert: Publicationen der v. Kuffner’schen Sternwarte in Wien, Band 1 (1889).
  
  
• Herz, Norbert: Fragmente zu einer Geschichte astronomischen Mäcenatenthums in ├ûsterreich. Wien 1892.  
  
  
• Pärr, Nora: Wiener Astronomen -- Ihre Tätigkeit an Privatobservatorien und Universitätssternwarten. Universität Wien,  Diplomarbeit, Januar 2001.
  
  
• Repsold, Johann Adolph: Zur Geschichte der astronomischen Meßwerkzeuge. Band 1: Von Purbach bis Reichenbach 1450-1830. Leipzig: Engelmann 1908. Band 2: Von 1830 bis um 1900. Leipzig: E. Reinicke 1914, here p. 41, 51.
  
  
• Schultz, Rüdiger: Kuffner Observatory, Austria (Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy - Astronomical Heritage -- Places connected to the Sky)
  
  
• Weiss, Werner W. & Margareta Vyoral-Tschapka: Die Kuffner-Sternwarte in Wien-Ottakring. ├ûsterreichische Akademie der Wissemschaften, Sitzungsberichte der mathematisch-naturwiss. Klasse, Abt. II, Band 191 (1982), Heft 10, p. 615-646.
  
  
• Weiss, Werner W.: Die Kuffner-Sternwarte. Wien (Wiener Bezirkskulturführer, Jugend und Volk) 1984.
  
  
• Wolfschmidt, Gudrun (ed.): Astronomisches Mäzenatentum. Astronomical Patronage. Proceedings der Tagung an der Kuffner-Sternwarte in Wien, "Astronomisches Mäzenatentum in Europa", Wien, 7.-9. Oktober 2004. With contributions by Michael Segre, Wolfgang Lange, Felix Lühning, Anneliese Schnell, Françoise Le Guet Tully, Peter Habison, Dieter B. Herrmann, Björn Kunzmann. Norderstedt: Books on Demand (Nuncius Hamburgensis; Band 11) 2008.
  
  
• Wolfschmidt, Gudrun: Karl Schwarzschild, der Begründer der theoretischen Astrophysik. In: Physik in unserer Zeit - PhiuZ 47 (2016), Heft 6, S. 294-300. Weinheim: WILEY-VCH Verlag. DOI: 10.1002/piuz.201601454 (2. November 2016). (Print ISSN: 0031-9252, Online ISSN: 1521-3943)
  
  
• Wolfschmidt, Gudrun: Karl Schwarzschild, bedeutendster Nachfolger von Gauß und Begründer der theoretischen Astrophysik. In: Gauss Gesellschaft e.V. Göttingen Mitteilungen (GGM) 54 (2017), S. 9-27. (ISSN 0435-1452, Göttingen: Goltze)
  
  
• Wolfschmidt, Gudrun (ed.): Internationalität in der astronomischen Forschung (18. bis 21. Jahrhundert). Internationality in the Astronomical Research (18th to 21st Century). Proceedings der Tagung des Arbeitskreises Astronomiegeschichte in der Astronomischen Gesellschaft in Wien 2018. Hamburg: tredition (Nuncius Hamburgensis -- Beiträge zur Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften; Band 49) 2020.
  
  
• Wuchterl, Günther: Global Cultural Heritage of Dark Sky. In: Hoffmann, Susanne M. & Gudrun Wolfschmidt (eds.): Astronomy in Culture -- Cultures of Astronomy. Featuring the proceedings of a splinter meeting at the Annual Meeting of the German Astronomical Society, 14-16 September 2021. Hamburg: tredition (Nuncius Hamburgensis -- Beiträge zur Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften; Band 57) 2022.

Links to external sites 

• Verein der Kuffner Sternwarte, Geschichte der Kuffner Sternwarte
  
  
• Kuffner Sternwarte Vienna (Wikipedia)
  
  
• Schultz, Rüdiger: Kuffner Observatory, Austria (Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy - Astronomical Heritage -- Places connected to the Sky)
  
  
• Moriz Edler von Kuffner (1854--1939) (Austria-Forum > AEIOU)
  
  
• Rückkehr der Original-Präzisionspendeluhren "Kutter Nr. 47" und "Riefler Nr. 3" (1890) der Kuffner Sternwarte (2022)
  
  
• Astronomische Fachgrupe
  
  
• Astronomie Wien - VHS
  
  
• Kuffner Sternwarte (Austria-Forum > Kunst und Kultur > Heimatlexikon)
  
  
• Liste der denkmalgeschützten Objekte in Wien/Ottakring

Links to external on-line pictures 

no information available