Civic Planetarium of Milan, Planetarium in Porta Venezia Gardens, Milan, Italy
The Civic Planetarium of Milan is a circular building with an octagonal base situated in Porta Venezia Gardens. Inside, a projection room measuring 19.6 meters (64 feet) across sits beneath a domed screen decorated with Milan's 1930s skyline.
Swiss-Italian publisher Ulrico Hoepli donated this educational facility to Milan in 1929, with architect Piero Portaluppi designing the neoclassical structure that opened to the public in 1930. The building survived World War II after the caretaker hid its essential equipment during wartime attacks.
The facility has long served as a gathering place for astronomy enthusiasts and school groups attending regular talks about stars and space. These programs bring together people of different ages interested in learning about the cosmos.
The facility schedules public talks from September through June on specific weekdays and weekends at different times. It is best to check ahead for current session times since programming varies with the season.
In 1943, caretaker Aldo Venturi saved the valuable projection equipment by hiding it in a church at a psychiatric hospital in Limbiate. This salvage effort allowed the planetarium to resume full operations after the war.
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