Višnjan Observatory

The Višnjan Observatory is an exceptional astronomic observatory located in the attic of a house in the centre of the small town of Višnjan. It was founded on the decision of the assembly of the Amateur Astronomic Society of Višnjan in 1993, but it dates back to the seventies of the past century, resulting from the great achievements in astronautics during that period. By subsequent decisionf os the Astronomic Society of Višnjan and the Science and Education Centre of Višnjan in became the Astronomic Institute.

The first experimental observations by the new telescope started in 1995 and at the end of the same year, the astronomers K. Korlević and V. Brčić discovered the first small planet, an asteroid. Later on, the Observatory distinguished itself by astronometric measurements and the number of discovered asteroids, for which it is ranked among the world’s most successful twelve observatories.

Due to the increasing light pollution in Istria, reaching the critical level in the spring periods of 2000 and 2001, the scientific work at the Višnjan Observatory was impeded to completely die away in 2001. With the construction of a new observatory on the Tičan Hill and the installation of the equipment for astronomical and geophysical measurements at this new location, it became possible to continue work in the field of solar system mapping. Therefore, scientific and educational activities are also gradually moving to the new astronomic observatory. 

https://en.astro.hr/