Museum Astronomical Observatory of Paris - on the fan: Observatory acting, the atmosphere there is strict. But the trained person learns and sees a lot of interesting.

Observatoire de Paris - the oldest existing in Europe, even Greenwich younger years. When Louis XIV was created in 1666 from the Royal Academy of Sciences, at the first session, it decided to ask the monarch on the establishment of the observatory. June 21, 1667, at the summer solstice, academics, math determined to bought for the observatory site of the exact direction of the Paris meridian and the contours of the building. He designed and built by his architect Claude Perrault, brother storyteller Charles Perrault. The name of the architect is now called the central building of the observatory.

At different times, the observatory was headed by outstanding astronomers. Since 1994, through the bridge of Paris to the Paris meridian runs a chain of bronze medallions with the inscription Arago. This is - a monument to one of the directors of the observatory, astronomer Francois Arago outstanding, whose life resembles an adventure novel. Young scientists commissioned to measure the arc of the meridian in Spain, which at that time rebelled against Napoleon. Arago was arrested, in prison, and then got into slavery to the Algerian Day, was a translator at the buccaneers - and still made it to France, saving the measurement results. At age 23, he was elected to the Academy. In Paris, a monument was Arago who disappeared during the occupation. The French did not restore it, and laid in the bridge 135 bronze medallions, each day remind Parisians of scientific feat of their compatriots.

The building of the observatory through the halls of the second floor is the line of copper, indicating the Paris meridian. In the XIX century the observatory established three telescopes, which are now shown to tourists. Also in the museum you can see the masterpieces of the collection tool, used by scientists of earlier centuries.

To get here sightseeing easy: Observatory on the provisional application takes only a group of 20-30 people. But the level of the two-hour tour is the highest - its researchers hold true.