About us
About the Planetarium
On September 6, 1975 the largest Planetarium with a national astronomical observatory in Bulgaria opens its doors in Smolyan. Smolyan is a tourist center in the Western Rhodopes and lies 800 m above sea level, near the famous winter resort of Pamporovo. The planetarium is one of the most frequently visited attractions in the mountain town. Over the past years, it has been visited by over 3,000,000 people. In the middle of the star hall until 2020, the projection apparatus "Spacemaster, or Raumflugplanetarium RFP- "for space flights", manufactured by the "Carl Zeiss Jena" factories, Germany, was located. Through a complex system of mechanics and optics, he projected onto a hemispherical white screen an artificial sky with astonishing accuracy. After almost 46 years of active work, the APPARATUS has been heavily depreciated and today is displayed as a "museum exhibit" in the lobby.
On 30.12.2020, the Municipality of Smolyan signed a grant agreement No. BG16RFOP001-1.022-0005-C01 and started the implementation of a project proposal entitled "Renovation and energy efficiency of cultural infrastructure - Planetarium Smolyan building", which is implemented with the financial support of the Operational Program "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union through the European Fund for Regional Development.
After the implementation of the project "Renovation and energy efficiency of cultural infrastructure - Smolyan Planetarium building", a major repair and reconstruction of the building was carried out. Main energy-saving sources, such as windows, thermal insulation of walls and roof, heating, ventilation, electrical and plumbing installations, etc., have been replaced. An interesting and easily accessible vertical layout has been built, even for people with disabilities. There is an astrolabe with a built-in sundial and vertical gnomon, as well as an observation platform on which small mobile telescopes are mounted. The other very important part of such a successful renovation project is the supply of new modern and high-tech equipment and furnishings for the star hall, the observatory and the other rooms in the building. A "SECOND VISITOR'S CENTER" has also been set aside, where various computer configurations can be viewed to complement the knowledge of space.
