The observatory

Jenő Gothard (1857-1909), a science-oriented squire, established an observatory on his estate based on Miklós Konkoly Thege's advice. Konkoly, his friend, who was his senior by 15 years, was the owner of the Observatory in Ógyalla. The new observatory was located in the village of Herény near Szombathely.

The plans of the main building were made by Alajos Hauszmann, a professor of the University of Technology in Budapest; the drum-shaped dome was designed by Jenő Gothard himself.

The building of the observatory in 1881.

The first observation at the Astrophysical Observatory happened on October 20, 1881.

Until 1883, in his astronomical observations, Jenő Gothard was helped by his brother, Sándor Gothard (1859-1939), while their youngest brother, István Gothard (1869-1948), took part in meteorological data recording. Jenő Gothard's helping hand was József Molnár, a technician who worked with him till the end of his life.

The young Gothard brothers: Jenő, Sándor and István

The main building housed physical, chemical and photographic laboratories and a precision mechanics workshop. Furthermore, other establishments serving meteorological and geomagnetic observations belonged to the observatory.