Observatorio Astronómico Nacional

Apart from its architectural appeal, I just found some great historical tidbits about this place. It was actually the first observatory built in the American continent, dating back to 1803. Spanish scientist Jose Celestino Mutis ordered its construction in 1802. Mutis, an MD, botanist, mathematician, astronomer, chemist and physicist headed the 25-year Botanical Expedition on commission for the Royal Spanish Crown, covering some 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) and categorizing thousands of fauna and flora species. He appointed Colombian scientist Francisco José de Caldas to head the observatory. Being part of the independence movement himself and under the auspice of Mutis, Caldas made the observatory a place of meeting for Antonio Nariño, Camilo Torres, José Acebedo, Antonio Baraya, etc. who would later become heroes in attaining independence from Spain, including Caldas himself.

After Caldas’ assasination in 1816, the observatory switched hands repeatedly. In 1867 it served as prison for overthrown president Tomás Cipriano Mosquera for 6 months! After the Civil War in the early 20th Century, it served as a gathering point and classroom for renowned scientists and teachers, such as Julio Garavito, to reestablish the Engineering School of the Universidad Nacional. After Garavito’s death, and under the oppressive rule of president Marco Fidel Suarez, the observatory was completely inactive for over 10 years.

Thanks to president Enrique Olaya Herrera, the observatory reopened, and in 1952 a new observatory was built within the campus of the Universidad Nacional, where they brought in a newer telescope from the Marseille Observatory in France. The observatory was restored and sits in the grounds of the Casa de Nariño, the president’s house.

_{Source: http://www.observatorio.unal.edu.co/ (Spanish)}