Zeppelin Museum

Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin launched his first rigid airship from Lake Constance in 1900, and Friedrichshafen became the centre of the industry. The museum, in the 1930s Bauhaus-influenced harbour station, holds the largest collection on airship history, its centrepiece a thirty-three-metre walk-through reconstruction of part of LZ 129 Hindenburg built from the original construction drawings, with the passenger lounge, cabins and dining room fitted as they were. Aluminium frame sections, engines and salvaged fragments are displayed alongside. Modern semi-rigid Zeppelin NT airships are built in the town again and run sightseeing flights over the lake.

The main sights

• The Hindenburg section - a 33-metre walk-through reconstruction of the interior.
• The frame structures - original aluminium girders and engine components.
• The harbour station - a 1930s building housing the collection.
• The modern airships - Zeppelin NT flights operating from the town.

When to go

Year-round; the museum closes Mondays from November to April. Airship sightseeing flights run mainly in the warmer months and are weather dependent.

Practical notes

The Hindenburg section is a reconstruction, not salvage. Airship flights are expensive and separately booked. The museum also holds an art collection some visitors do not expect.

Nearby

Meersburg lies west; Lindau is east.

Key facts