Named for a residential district of the city of Potsdam {see planet  (5816)}, known as the summer residence of Emperor Wilhelm I and for its famous film studios. The Berlin Observatory, founded in 1700, was transferred because of bad seeing conditions to Babelsberg before World War I. Therefore, the Babelsberg Observatory is the oldest still-existing astronomical institute in the German-speaking world. Former directors have included J. E. Bode {see planet  (998)}, J. F. Encke, W. Foerster and K. H. Struve. The assistant astronomer J. G. Galle {see planet  (2097)} discovered Neptune at this observatory in 1846. (M 23542) _ _.