Kulin Observatory, Public observatory at Könyves Kálmán High School in Budapest, Hungary.
Kulin Observatory is a small domed observatory on the roof of the Könyves Kálmán Secondary School in Budapest's District IV. Its four-metre rotating metal dome, installed in 1955, houses a telescope with a 30-centimetre mirror ground by György Kulin. A club room, photo laboratory and storage space adjoin the dome.
György Kulin taught at the Könyves Kálmán Secondary School from 1949 to 1953 and built the observatory with his students between 1950 and 1954. The 30-centimetre mirror was ground by Kulin himself, the metal parts were machined at the Újpesti Metal Industry Technical School, and the reinforced-concrete mount was cast in the schoolyard. The rotating metal dome, four metres across, was set in place in 1955. Damaged in 1956, it waited until 1962 for repairs, and after a 2001 renovation it was renamed the Kulin György Demonstrating Observatory.
Students in the school's astronomy club compete in national and international amateur astronomy contests, and the observatory itself hosts the annual Kulin Astronomy Competition. The facility is named after György Kulin, the teacher who founded it.
Public observation sessions run throughout the academic year with adjustable schedules based on weather and technical conditions. Visitors should expect flexible timing and plan for potential changes to viewing sessions.
The telescope's cast-concrete support was poured in the school courtyard, while the instrument itself was assembled in a school corridor. The rotating metal dome, just four metres across, was lowered into place in 1955, together with a roof terrace around it.
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