Dossier on ‘Astronomical observatories of the KFU’ discussed in Paris

The information dossier “Astronomical Observatories of the Kazan State University” was reviewed in Paris at the meeting of the ICOMOS panel (International Council on Monuments and Sites).

Ivan Gushchin, Chairman of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects, took part in the event via video link. The delegation from Tatarstan in Paris was represented by the Deputy Director for Scientific Activities of the KFU, Rafael Valeev.

The UNESCO mission visited the Kazan observatories in the autumn of this year, despite the difficult international situation, they got acquainted with the factual material and considered the correspondence of the information provided with the real state of affairs.

At the meeting, recommendations were made to supplement information about the value of rare instruments that have been preserved in observatories: somewhere similar is shown in museums, but here scientific research is still being conducted on astronomical equipment, university students are studying.

Work on the dossier began in 2019. In March of this year, the UNESCO World Heritage Center got acquainted with the nomination dossier of astronomical observatories of the Kazan Federal University and confirmed that it meets all technical requirements. In 2023, the nomination of observatories from Russia will be proposed for consideration by the UNESCO committee.