The 65 cm Zeiss refractor was originally intended as a gift from then Chancellor of Germany Adolf Hitler to the Italian Benito Mussolini, but it was not delivered and instead was recovered by the Soviet Union. The Simeiz station became a part of the new Crimean Astrophysical Observatory of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1945. They also built the Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station and a laboratory in Blagoveshchensk. The observatory organized many expeditions for determining differences of longitudes, observing passages of Venus and solar eclipses, and studying astroclimate. In 1962, the Observatory sent an expedition to Chile to observe stars in the southern skies. Gallery Directors See also List of Russian astronomers and astrophysicists References External links History of the observatory (in Russian) The official site of Pulkovo observatory Overview of the observatory 1839 establishments in the Russian Empire Astronomical observatories built in the Soviet Union Astronomical observatories in Russia Buildings and structures completed in 1839 Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences Science museums in Saint Petersburg World Heritage Sites in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg