It has two main locations in Jena, Germany and the neighbouring village of Großschwabhausen.

It was funded by local regent Karl August von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach and planned by Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

The new observatory in Großschwabhausen was built in 1962, in order to avoid the light pollution from the city of Jena.

[1] The old main observatory in the city centre is the home of "Volkssternwarte Urania", a society of hobbyist astronomers.

[2] They offer public access and courses for children and adults, and host events like watching comets or lunar eclipses.