Editing Nice Observatory (section)

== History ==

The first studies for the construction of the observatory began in 1878. [[Raphaël Bischoffsheim]], a banker passionate about science and astronomy, purchased the summit of Mont-Gros to establish an observatory. He enlisted his friend [[Charles Garnier (architect)|Charles Garnier]] to lead the architectural project. Garnier, drawing on his background in botany, designed a beautiful landscaped environment. The site consists of 18 pavilions, 13 of which were designed by Charles Garnier. Among the buildings are the large equatorial, the small equatorial housing a 50&nbsp;cm diameter [[Equatorial mount|equatorial]] instrument that enabled astronomer [[Auguste Charlois]] to discover 140 minor planets, the bent equatorial, the large meridian with its two sloped, zenith-opening roofs, and the central pavilion housing a library and researchers' offices. All of these buildings are nestled among the botanical paths of the garden and an olive grove with 250 trees purchased by Garnier.

In 1986, the Nice Observatory merged with the Center for Research in Geodynamics and Astrometry (CERGA) to form the Observatory of the Alpes-Maritimes, which became the [[Côte d'Azur Observatory|Observatory of the Côte d'Azur]] in 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Histoire |url=https://www.oca.eu/fr/hist-histpat |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=www.oca.eu}}</ref>

Since 1988, the observatory site has been listed in the [[Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique|ZNIEFF]] (Natural Zone of Ecological, Faunistic, and Floristic Interest) inventory of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The entire site is part of the ZNIEFF titled "Mont-Gros - Eze - Tête de Chien," which spans ten municipalities and covers an area of 2,907 hectares. On July 6, 1992, the site was partially classified as a [[Monument historique|historic monument]], and on October 24, 1994, the buildings were fully classified, including the various telescopes. On March 1, 2001, the observatory received the "20th Century Heritage" label.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Observatoire d'astronomie du Montgros (également sur commune de La Trinité) |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/merimee/PA00080970#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |access-date=2024-10-17 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}</ref>