Photo: Thomas Gravanis

The National Observatory

Photo: Thomas Gravanis

Get starry-eyed over this research institution and wander into the night sky through its telescope.

When was it built

1842 (completed 1845) with funding from Baron Simos Sinas, scion of a wealthy Greek family that founded the Bank of Austria and Europe’s first railroad.

What's the story

This may once have been the observatory of the fifth-century-BC mathematician and astronomer Meton.

Why it's important

It’s the oldest research institution in the Balkans. Designed by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen, the National Observatory is X-shaped, with its wings perfectly positioned to each of the four points of the horizon. Greece’s first telescope was installed here in 1902.

Must-see

The Doridis telescope, a refractor kept in a round structure a few metres from the main building. Evening tours include a look at the night sky through its lens.

Fun fact

Until the mid-1960s, official time in Greece was set by the Syngrou telescope. In the early years of the National Observatory’s operation, this was signalled by the ringing of church bells at noon, officially marked by the ‘thud’ of a large ball dropped from the observatory’s flagpole.