There is a new space observatory that has opened on the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus with clear views of the skies. It is hoped that visitors will show greater appreciation for celestial knowledge and an escape from urban life.
Cyprus’ new public observatory
High up on the Troodos mountains, the 1.77 million euro publicly-funded Troodos Observatory was inaugurated in May. It was designed by sci-fi lovers, architects, and siblings Elena, Nicodemos, and Cassandra Tsolakis. The spaceship-like shape of the building was apparently unintentional, but due to the actual purpose of the building, one would assume otherwise, Elena Tsolakis told Cyprus Mail.
“Yes, from some angles the building might look like a spaceship. Was that the intention? No, but that is what came out,” said Elena Tsolakis.
WATCH: A new space observatory in Cyprus looks like it just uncloaked itself on the set of a sci-fi movie and is ready for takeoff pic.twitter.com/U5rjwFSo8M
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A difficult-to-spot construction, the reflective cladding means the curved structure overlooking the hamlet of Agridia could be hiding in plain sight, camouflaged in the colors of the ground or the skies, depending on the angle from which one views it.
“Part of our…main objective was to create an iconic building for the area and we think that has been achieved,” Nicodemos Tsolakis told Cyprus Mail.
The observatory is part of the EU-backed Geostars project aimed at regenerating isolated rural areas in regions of Cyprus and Greece. The building is fitted with a 20-inch reflective telescope, the biggest on the island, sitting under a rotating 5.6 meter wide dome and a solar telescope beneath a hydraulic roof.
Elena Tsolakis, who was recently recognized by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as one of the 100 most influential female architects in the world, stated that each public space should tell a story and offer visitors a unique experience.
“What we are trying to replicate is that feeling of wonder, especially for children, to have that sense of wonder and curiosity and yearning to know more about the world beyond the everyday existence that we have,” she said.
An obviously placed protrusion that can be used as an astromarina for mobile telescopes appears to be emerging from the earth. A section of the construction was embedded in the mountain.
Greece too boasts a number of observatories with perhaps the most impressive being the National Observatory of Athens. The visitor center is located on the Hill of the Nymphs, and it is housed at the Sina building.
According to the observatory’s website, “The construction of the building commenced in 1842 after the generous donation of George Sinas, a businessman and ambassador of Greece in Vienna, and led to the establishment of the Observatory of Athens.”
It continues: “The building itself was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen. The site is situated across from the Parthenon and just to the north of the hill of Pnyx, where Meton built his heliotrope in the 5th century BC to perform the first astronomical observations of the classical Greek period.“
