The Czech capital has a new attraction.

The Prague Planetarium now offers a special experience for stargazers and amateur astronomers: Approximately 45 million LEDs illuminate the 22-meter-wide dome to create a stunning image of the starry sky. Unlike traditional planetariums, the Czech capital relies not on projectors but on self-illuminating light sources.

"Everyone we've shown the new system to is amazed, without exception," said astronomer Jakub Rozehnal, director of the two observatories and the planetarium in Prague. After two years of renovations, the facility opened its doors to visitors for the first time this weekend. It's one of the world's first fully digital LED planetariums, a spokeswoman said.

In addition to a long service life, the "LED Dome" lighting system from an American manufacturer is said to be characterized by low maintenance costs and high brightness. The waste heat is used to heat the entire building in winter. The total cost of the renovation amounted to the equivalent of approximately 12 million euros.

The circular planetarium building in Stromovka City Park was built in the 1950s. After the renovation, the hall now seats 290 visitors. Following consultation with the monument preservationists, the original projection device from the former GDR optics manufacturer Carl Zeiss Jena will be preserved in an adjoining room. According to the CSU statistics office, more than one million overnight guests from Germany visited the Czech capital last year.