On the twelfth of June, at the entrance to the Moscow Planetarium, a thousand-strong line formed. People stood for several hours, more than ten people were injured as a result of the stampede. One girl with a stomach injury was taken to the hospital.
On Russia Day, June 12, 2012, the Moscow Planetarium celebrated the first anniversary of its work after reconstruction. On the occasion of the double holiday, the planetarium leadership decided to make the entrance free that day, it was promised to receive five thousand visitors. Muscovites were notified in advance that they would be able to enjoy the picture of the starry sky for free. This is precisely the reason why thousands of people gathered at the planetarium on Russia Day.
Every half hour, three hundred and fifty people were allowed into the planetarium, but the line was not diminished. At the gates of a metal fence, the crowd was held back by only a few police officers. The crush began about 14 hours, under the pressure of the crowd, the people standing at the fence were pressed to the grate. The situation was aggravated by strong stuffiness, some people fainted. They were assisted by doctors from the Center for Emergency Medicine. One of the residents of the Moscow Region was taken to the hospital with a stomach injury, but after being examined by doctors, the girl was released home.
The construction of the Moscow Planetarium began on September 23, 1928, on the day of the vernal equinox. The main work was completed in August 1929, a Zeiss projection apparatus was installed in a spherical dome. The grand opening of the planetarium took place on November 5, 1929, this day is considered the birthday of the Moscow planetarium. He did not stop his work even during the difficult years of World War II, one of his tasks at that time was training in the field of astronomy of military pilots and scouts.
For a long time the Moscow planetarium was one of the best in the world, but gradually its equipment deteriorated. The installation in 1977 of a more modern projection apparatus somewhat corrected the situation, however, the new time required the introduction of advanced technologies, and in 1994 the Moscow Planetarium was closed for major repairs. Due to the lack of sufficient funding, and later due to disputes between the owners, the reconstruction was delayed for many years, and only in 2011 the Moscow Planetarium finally began to receive visitors again. It is unfortunate that the celebration of the anniversary of his work after the reconstruction was accompanied by a stampede in which people suffered. It is hardly worth doubting that the planetary leadership will draw the appropriate conclusions and this situation will not happen again.
