State observatory

A state observatory is an observatory , i.e. an observing astronomical institute that is directly subordinate to a state government . In contrast, other observatories are private, public or part of a university .

There are two state observatories in Germany:

• the Thuringian State Observatory Tautenburg and
• the State Observatory Heidelberg-Königstuhl ,

The latter only bears the name out of tradition, as it has been part of the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg since 2005 .

In Austria there is a regional observatory in Burgenland at the Leinnerhaus in Eisenstadt .