Named in memory of Jan Frič (1863–1897) and Josef Frič (1861–1945), the two brothers who founded the Ondřejov Observatory. On 1898 Jan 21, one year after Jan’s sudden death, Josef started to bring to fruition their shared idea of establishing an astronomical institution. He purchased the land, and he adopted Jan’s name as his own second name. The observatory grew extensively during the twentieth century and became internationally renowned. It was at Ondřejov that Josef Jan Frič, together with František Nušl {see planet  (3424)}, discovered an anomalous refraction effect and developed astrogeodetic instruments, such as the well-known Nušl-Frič circumzenithal, for the determination of geographical coordinates. (M 31027) _ _.