Founding of Nice Observatory

The Nice Observatory stands on the summit of Mont Gros, overlooking the French Riviera city of Nice. It was funded by the banker and philanthropist Raphaël Bischoffsheim, and designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera, with the dome of the great equatorial telescope constructed by Gustave Eiffel. At the time of its opening, its refractor was one of the largest in the world. The first director was Henri Perrotin, who used the instruments to make observations of planets and double stars. The observatory later became a major center of astronomy in France and is now part of the Côte d'Azur Observatory, while its historical buildings are open to visitors.

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