Storia della nascita e la sorte dei “telescopi Mussolini”

In May 1938, during the state visit to Italy Hitler asked Mussolini “to accept as a token of our reverence and friendship a Zeiss telescope and the complete equipment of an observatory”. This equipment included three big telescopes (a 26-inch refractor, a 1-m Schmidt refractor and a double astrograph) with three domes and auxiliary apparatus (a new-type transit instrument, a registering microphotometer, a comparator etc). All telescopes together with domes were going to be produced by Zeiss. It was decided to build the National Astronomical Observatory in Monte Porzio Catone for hosting the astronomical equipment. However, due to the WWII tragic events these plans were not fulfilled. Three domes for big telescopes (with necessary motors for rising floor and moving roof) were completed, moved to Italy and mounted. However, after 8 September, 1943 they were unmounted and moved back to Germany to the Zeiss factory. The domes and auxiliary instruments were distributed between German observatories. Three big telescopes were not paid by the German government and stayed in the Zeiss factory. They never came to Italy. In 1945 these telescopes were taken to the Soviet Union as war reparation. They were sent to Soviet observatories those most affected by the war.