The planetarium was opened in Volgograd in 1954. It was built by the Germans, and not by prisoners, but by the working people of the GDR, who decided to «make a present for Stalin`s birthday and build a planetarium in Stalingrad».
After the construction was completed, the then most advanced equipment was installed in the planetarium. In those years planetariums were only in Moscow and Kiev, but in terms of equipment, this planetarium was the best and was even internationally recognized and included in the list of the best planetariums in the world.
The planetarium was built in the form of an ancient temple with a colonnade and topped with the Peace sculpture shaped as an ancient goddess by Vera Mukhina, the author of the famous Worker and Kolkhoz Woman sculpture.
The star room of the planetarium can accommodate up to 460 spectators, with the diameter of the dome reaching 23 meters. At the height of 26 meters there was set up an observatory for scientific studies.
