An observatory in Zirkstraat in the centre of Antwerp is being completely renovated and officially reopened at the weekend. It has been in existence for a century but has not been used for the last 20 years. People’s Observatory Urania now wants to change that. The renovation will ensure that from 2024 onwards the general public will be able to look at the stars and planets here.
From next spring anyone in the centre of Antwerp wanting to look at the stars, moon and some of the planets will be able to do so in the renovated observatory in Zirkstraat. “It is more than a hundred years old, but has not been used for about 20 years,” says the director of People’s Observatory Urania Marc Van den Broeck.
“We are now renovating the entire observatory, a renovation which includes two new classic telescopes. They are old models, but the quality of the images is fantastic.”