Twenty kilometers from Kazan, in the village of Oktyabrsky, at an altitude of 92 meters above sea level, is an observatory Engelhardt, created in 1903.

Shortly before the establishment of the observatory country (in 1897) V.P.Engelgardt bequeath their equipment Kazan University in Dresden Great Observatory. In 1898, the land was allocated in close proximity to the city for the construction of a major astronomical observatory, which was opened in 1903 and is named after the Russian scientist, astronomer Vasily Pavlovich Engelhardt. Apart from property and capital on the development of the observatory Engelhardt sends his tools: Watch Knobliha and Thiede, versatile tool Faneuil, equatorial Grubb, transit instrument Bamberg, small kometoiskatel and equator-kometoiskatel that are today unique exhibits of the museum created at this research facility .

V.P.Engelgardt was a close friend of MI Glinka and after the death of the great composer in Berlin organized the transfer of his remains to his homeland, handed the manuscripts collection of the Public Library of St. Petersburg. Great value is also correspondence with Vasily Pavlovich Liszt and G.Byulovym. In addition to the observatory that bears his name in 1970 by the decision of 14 International Astronomical Union Congress, Engelhardt was given the name of a lunar crater.

The founder is considered to be one of the observatory and successor Engelhardt, Rector of the University of Kazan - D.I.Dubyago. Besides the main building, under the leadership of D.I.Dubyago was built: two wooden houses with sun roofs, stone tower with rotating dome (1908.), Pavilion astrograph and several residential buildings (1914). The founder of the observatory Dmitri Ivanovich Dubyago was buried in the crypt built on the mound (architect Myufke), survives to this day.

Today on the territory of the Kazan Astronomical Observatory is a museum, multi-disciplinary Center for space astrometry, Astropark Planetarium and the new building (2013). The Observatory regularly hosts educational and cultural and educational activities.