They are associated with the patron of the Jesuit College (of the University), an outstanding religious figure, Lviv archbishop Vaclav Yeronim Ciarakovskyi (1700 – 1780).

Yuzef Lisganig (1719-1799), a former Jesuit who used to the prefect of the astronomical observatory in Vienna supervised the observation with the young scientist, Austrian engineer Franz Xaver von Zach assisting him.

There is no documentary evidence on the work of the Astronomical observatory as the site for conducting regular celestial observations throughout the 19th century.

In 1897 this decision was solved in a positive way and the Ministry approved professor Václav Láska, the head of the spherical astronomy and higher geodesy department, the head of Lviv Polytechnic astronomical observatory as a private docent of astronomy at Lviv University.

During the period when M. Ernst was holding the position of the head of the observatory, Merc and Zendter’s refractor (D=134 mm, F=180 sm), universal tool, pendulum clock (Salmoiradgy company), medium solar chronometer, Ditisheym solar chronometer and a number of the laboratory tools were purchased, an astronomical library was also established.

After Ernst's death in 1930 an outstanding physicist, honourable professor of the university Henryk Arctowski was appointed the head of the observatory.

In 1932 doctor Euheniusz Rybka was appointed for this position who renewed the students’ intake attending the courses of astronomy, extended the staff, the scope of scientific topics and the observatory tools, started observing variable stars and working in the sphere of star photometry.

The periodical in English called “Contributions from the Astronomical Institute of Lvov University” was also founded at that time.

Stellar and solar chronographs of Narden company’s make were purchased to improve the material basis and organize systematic observations.

The observatory staff was replenished by the scientists who moved to Lviv from other astronomical establishments of the USSR, the scope of scientific research was extended, namely with Physics of the Sun (V. Stepanov, T. Mandarynkina, R. Teplytska, H. Radianov), solar activity and solar and terrestrial connections (M. Eheysen), celestial mechanics (N. Yelienievska, V. Rohachenko), stellar physics, interstellar medium and relativity astrophysics (S. Kaplan).

Kulinich, O. Serhienko and M. Tsizh) began working in the theoretical field on the problems of the galaxy origin and a large-scale structure of the Universe.