The Observatory
For over 100 years, this observatory contributed to the astronomical community. Today, the observatory is slowly fading away. Join us as we explore the past of this facility and discover a large telescope that was left behind.
Located at an undisclosed location stands one of few astronomical observatories in Belgium. It was founded in 1881 by Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who was the director of the Royal Observatory of Belgium at the time.
The observatory has a 30 cm refracting telescope for viewing stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. Additionally, the observatory was also used for geodetic and meteorological measurements. It contributed significantly to the growth of astrophotography and was one of the first observatories in the world to use photography for astronomical observations.
Today, the observatory is abandoned, no longer used for astronomical observations, and has just the one telescope left. In spite of this, it continues to be a significant historical figure in the development of astronomy and astrophotography.
