Observatory White Elephant

Anyone who dares to climb the legendary Carpathian Black mountain, a pleasant bonus: at the top is the highest building in Ukraine. From a distance it looks like the remains of an ancient fortress, but it is the former Observatory, because only the stars above. In its heyday, the Observatory significance was considered second in Europe and sixth in the world!

Observatory "White Elephant". Anyone who dares to climb the legendary Carpathian Black mountain, a pleasant bonus: at the top is the highest building in Ukraine. From a distance it looks like the remains of an ancient fortress, but it is the former Observatory, because only the stars above. In its heyday, the Observatory significance was considered second in Europe and sixth in the world!

Myths and facts

After the First world war Poland was thinking about building a new Observatory because the old Warsaw was no longer able to perform its functions fully. It was decided to construct a new building in the Carpathian mountains, on one of the highest mountains - Black (or Pop Ivan).

In 1935, in a closed competition for the best project work was recognized by architects Marchevskiy and Pogosova, and next saw the construction of the Observatory, which was supervised by the Ministry of the air defence of Poland. The building was built in just two years. This record time, considering that building materials, blocks, parts of structures had to lift the insane height - 2026 m; and the nearest villages were few tens of kilometers. The construction work involved Hutsul people of the neighbouring villages.

The Grand opening of the Observatory took place on 29 June 1938. This miracle of architecture had two floors on the East side and five from the West. To the Observatory adjoined the tower rotunda, a six-meter copper dome which opened automatically, revealing the astrograph (specially manufactured in the UK).

The building had its own boiler, power plant, water and even a small greenhouse, where grown citrus. For insulation of premises used tarred wood, balsa wood, which was delivered from Africa. All the Observatory was 43 room: living rooms, meeting room, hotel, dining and other Interior living rooms was at a high level, carved furniture, parquet floors. In severe frosts structure was covered with a crust of snow and ice and is very reminiscent of an elephant, because they call him a "White Elephant".

But as an Observatory, the building served only 14 months. After the outbreak of the Second world war, valuable equipment was removed, and in late 1939 White Elephant became the property of the Soviet Union. Posted here meteorological station, which remained in operation until 1941. In 1941-1944, the building of the "chosen" as an observation post Hungarian troops. Say, a White Elephant was attended personally by Adolf Hitler.

After the war the activities of the Observatory was not renewed, all that could be carried out-take, locals dismantled for building materials. In our day the Church was partially restored, the question of its further use.

What to see

The building, built in the style of constructivism, resembles the letter L. the Material is built of the local Sandstone. Remained powerful, foot-thick walls of the building.

Now a White elephant is a kind of "shelter" for tourists, because the Black mountain is famous for its unpredictable weather. According to one legend, even his name Pop Ivan, she received due to the fact that its top, blow, whistle, "popehat" hurricane-force winds. And Black mountain because she is constantly surrounded by black thunderclouds. According to another legend, it was here Olexa Dovbush killed the devil in the form of a black trouble, because the mountain and was named Black.
Observatory "White Elephant" is on PIP Ivan 150 km from Ivano-Frankivsk.