On the Pulkovo heights, the low ridge south of St Petersburg, an observatory has been watching the sky since 1839. It was founded by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, the German-born astronomer who became its first director, and it quickly became one of the leading observatories in the world, with the largest refracting telescope of its day. The Pulkovo meridian, running through the observatory's main building, served as the reference for Russian maps for many years. Struve also led the measurement of the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of survey triangulations stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea, which helped determine the size and shape of the earth and is now a UNESCO site.
The observatory was destroyed during the Second World War, when the Pulkovo heights were on the front line of the siege of Leningrad. The Germans shelled the area heavily, and the buildings were reduced to ruins, though some instruments and the library had been evacuated. After the war, the observatory was rebuilt and reopened in 1954, and today it is still an active research institute, with telescopes, a museum, and guided tours. The grounds, with their alleys of trees and white buildings, have a calm, academic feel.
Riding up to Pulkovo is easy, as it lies close to the city, just south of Pulkovo airport, along the Pulkovskoye highway, which carries heavy traffic. The ridge offers views over the city, and on a clear day you can see the domes and spires of St Petersburg on the horizon. The surrounding area has a mix of suburbs, fields and monuments to the defenders of Leningrad, and the roads to Pushkin, a short ride to the southeast, with its Catherine Palace and the famous Amber Room, are more pleasant. Weather can be grey and damp much of the year, but the summer white nights are magical.
Shushary and Pushkin, nearby, have petrol, coffee and proper meals, and the city has everything. Pushkin is a great place for a meal and a walk in the palace parks. Visit the observatory museum if you can, look at the telescopes, and stand on the heights looking north toward the city. It is a place where science and war have both left their mark, and where the stars still draw people's attention.