'■ Erbaut 

 L T nter 

 Sr. M. Des Kaisers 

 Fran/. Josef I. 

 1874-1880." 

 (Erected under His Majesty the Emperor Francis Joseph I. 

 1874-1880. 1 



On the west side a tabid reads: 



*' Begonnen 



Unter 



Dir. Karl v. Littrow 



Vollendel 



Unter 



Dir. Edmund AYeiss 



Naeh den Planen 



der Architekten 



Fellner & Helmer." 



(Commenced under Director Karl von Littrow, completed 



under Director Edmund AYeiss. according to the plans of the 



Architects Fellner & Helmer. I 



A pleasant flight of granite stairs leads to the main floor 

 paved with mosaic, from which a hall conducts to the Largo 

 circular room in the center of the cross, through which, from 

 the solid rock, four metres below, ascends the massive pier 

 upon which, under the great dome, forty feel in diameter. 

 rests the objective of 27 inches, with a focal length of 30 feet. 

 A stairway winds around the pier, reaching the observing 

 floor. 



This refractor was mounted by Grubb, and it was the tirst 

 large instrument with which the vernier of the hour circle 

 could he read from the eye end without the necessity id' ascend- 

 ing to the axis of the tube for that purpose. 



In the Large circular hall, at the west of the pier, is 

 placed the transit instrument, and in the dome at the west 

 arm of the cross, is the Clark' 11 3-4 objective. 



r ldie North dome, on the top of the cross, had for many 

 years a comet seeker, hut this has Lately been removed and 

 substituted by a short focus instrument lor coarser photo- 

 graphic work of a genera] character. 



'I'he East dome contains the old six-inch equatorial which 

 had done its work from the roof of the Academy of Sciences 

 building. It was the Largest instrument owned by the Obser 

 vatory College prior to its removal to the present location. 



In an alcove a1 the Southeast side of the large circular 

 hall, are several smaller objectives, which can be easily moved 

 to an adjaeenl exterior stone platform for use by the idle 

 curious and others, when the larger glasses are not at disposal. 



35 



