Twenty kilometers from Kazan, in the village of October, at the height of 92 meters above sea level is the Engelhardt Observatory, established in 1903.

Shortly before the creation of the rural Observatory (1897) V. P. Engelgardt bequeaths Kazan University their equipment a Large Observatory in Dresden. In 1898, land was provided in the immediate vicinity of the city for the construction of a major astronomical Observatory, which was opened in 1903 and is named after Russian scientist astronomer Vasily Pavlovich Engelhardt. In addition to property and capital on the development of the Engelhardt Observatory transmits your tools: watch Knoblich and Thiede, the universal tool of Penela, Equatorial Grubba, the passage instrument of Bamberg, small somatostatin and equat-somatostatin, which is nowadays the unique exhibits of the Museum, created with the research institution.

V. P. Engelgardt was a close friend of M. I. Glinka and after the death of the great composer in Berlin organized the transfer of his ashes to his homeland, gave the collection of manuscripts of the Public library of St. Petersburg. Great value correspondence Vasily Pavlovich with F. Liszt and G. Belowim. In addition to the Observatory that bears his name, in 1970, by decision of 14 of the international astronomical Union Congress, the name of Engelhardt was awarded the lunar crater.

The founder of the Observatory is considered to be a friend and follower of Engelhardt, the rector of Kazan University, D. I. Tobago. Besides the main building, under the leadership of D. I. Tobago was built: two wooden houses with removable roofs, stone tower with a rotating dome (1908), pavilion for astrograph and a few houses (1914). Founder of the Observatory Dmitry Ivanovich Tobago was buried in was built on the mound crypt (architect Myufke), preserved to our days.

Nowadays on the territory of the Kazan Astronomical Observatory is a Museum, a multidisciplinary Centre for space astrometry, Astropark and the new building of the Planetarium (2013). The Observatory regularly hosts educational and cultural events.