struve was born in tartu in 1835, the son of friedrich georg wilhelm von struve (1793–1864) and his second wife, johanna h.f. bartels. his father was a native of altona, hamburg, who emigrated in 1808 to avoid conscription in the napoleonic armies, going first to denmark and then russia. the elder struve was appointed professor of astronomy and mathematics at the university of dorpat (now tartu) in 1813 and director of the dorpat observatory in 1817. in 1835, the year of karl's birth, he was asked by tsar nicholas i to supervise construction of the pulkovo observatory, of which he was director from 1839 to 1862.