The Astronomical Institute is located in the Eastern part of Wroclaw, in a quarter called Sepolno, at the environments of the Szczytnicki Park, nearby the ZOO, Hala Ludowa and Olympic Stadium. Some laboratories, lecture room, library and staff offices are situated in three buildings close to the Kopernika street. There is a dome at the top of the highest, three-storied building (photo). The dome contains 20-cm Clark-Repsold refractor.

There are two departments in the Institute:

• Department of Astrophysics and Classical Astronomy
• Department of Solar Physics and Space Science.

The Institute offers high-qualified scientific and teaching staff consisting of 18 scientists. There are 4 professors, 3 doctors of science (including two at the post of professor) as well as 11 others with a Ph.D. degree.

• It is the home institution for teaching astronomy within the undergraduate studies at the Wroclaw University.
• Bialkow Observatory, which is a part of the Institute, works as one of the five professional observatories in Poland. There are actually two professional instruments in the observatory: 60-cm reflector and 53-cm coronograph. Observing staff takes part in the international programs and observational campaigns observing both the Sun and stars.
• It popularizes astronomy at the primary and secondary school level.

Since its foundation, the Astronomical Institute was a part of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. As the institutes developed and the number of the students increased considerably, a necessity of reorganization appeared. In 1995 the Faculty of Chemistry was created. A year later, the remaining part of the old faculty splitted into two separate faculties: Mathematics and Informatics, and Physics and Astronomy.

For more information consult the Astronomical Institute home page.   Entrance