Germany Museums: Nordholzt * Niederstetten * Munich * Hamburg * Meersburg * Friedrichshafen * Weilburg * Zeppelinheim
Germany, of course, offers quite a number of museums. Some of those museums contain information about or dedicated to the Zeppelin which played such a significant role in Germany's history. Unfortunately, as is true of most all museums of the world, it was, with a few exceptions, most difficult to find detailed information about Zeppelin-related exhibits at German museums. It seems the central theme of museums world-wide is to "upscale" exhibits to bring in paying visitors who only want to be entertained, rather than informed. Except in the few Zeppelin-dedicated museums, airship-related exhibits are generally pushed aside. Fortunately, a number of very fine, Zeppelin-dedicated museums are found in Germany.
From Wikipedia: Aeronauticum is the official German maritime aircraft museum - located in Nordholz (close to Cuxhaven). The museum has a large collection of aircraft that has been used by the German Marine/Navy, among other places also in the adjacent Nordholz Naval Airbase. The name of the museum is derived from the Greek words which means "air" and "navigation, or airmanship", i.e. "navigation of the air".
This is one of the few museums for which I could confirm actual airship exhibits on display. There is a wonderful model of the LZ-129, Hindenburg, with a cutaway of its hull to show its internal skeleton. There is also a model of a zeppelin control cabin and pictures and artifacts of zeppelins. Outdoors, there is a wonderful statue of Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin, apparently a duplicate of the one found at Freidrichshaffen, and a weather-vane in the shape of a Zeppelin.
There is an interesting history behind this museum. When this museum opened in 1997, they had a special guest. That guest was Mrs. Zeppelina Williams who was born on the 24th of September, 1916 in Little Wigborough, Essex, UK. That is the date the German L-33 crashed at Little Wigborough. Zeppelina was thus named after the amazing incident that happened on the day of her birth! The area of Cuxhaven in Northern Germany was a base for Zeppelins, including the L-33 so it was fitting that Mrs. Zeppelina Williams be the guest of honor at the opening of the museum. Zeppelina died in 2004.
Photo credit: Undetermined
Website: AERONAUTICUM
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 53.775236 008.638570, in Nordholz, Germany.
The location of the museum in Google Maps:
Albert Sammt, the airship commander, was born in Niederstetten. He was an officer on the ill-fated Hindenburg, and this museum provides information about him and houses a collection of Zeppelin exhibits.
Photo credit: Undetermined
Website: Albert Sammt Zeppelin Museum
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 49.398417 009.919423, in Niederstetten, Germany.
The location of the museum in Google Maps:
Apparently has displays on the LZ-127 and the Parseval in the "Old Aeronautics Hall".
Photo credit: Google Street View
Website: Deutsches Museum, Munich
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 48.130089 011.583509, in Munich, Germany.
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Has a couple of small models on display of the LZ-36 and the Shenandoah. Museum is a great find to those of the maritime interest.
Photo credit: Google Street View
Website: Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg-English
Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg-DeutschThe museum is located at (Lat Lon) 53.543496 009.999571, in Hamburg, Germany.
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Has a large number of Zeppelin artifacts including duralumin girders from both the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg, original radio equipment, an engine nacelle, and many other items.
Photo credit: Darren
Website: Zeppelinmuseum
The Zeppelinmuseum is one of the few museums actually posting photos of many of their exibits! The link is provided here in English, and on the page itself you can switch to German or Japanese: Zeppelinmuseum exhibits.The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 47.693900 009.271597, in Meersburg, Germany.
The location of the museum in Google Maps:
This wonderful museum has a large hall dedicated to the Hindenburg. The Hindenburg, of course, was destroyed by fire in Lakehurst in 1937. But here, visitors climb a gangway into the faithful reconstruction of the major passenger areas of the Hindenburg. They experience the look and feel of the Zeppelin as did the passengers of the 1930s.
The museum also showcases models and original exhibits produced in detail as well as films and photos relating to airship travel from its early beginnings and hot air balloons to the modern-day Zeppelin NT.
Photo credit: Undetermined
Website: Friedrichshafen Zeppelin Museum
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 47.650476 009.482659, in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
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NOTE: This museum may no longer have an airship display. I have been unable to confirm any airship exhibit other than the gondola of a hot air balloon.
This notation from Peter White was found on the Internet and may describe an earlier exhibit: "The majority of the museum is concerned with the local mining industry and the airship exhibit was confined to onewall of one room. There are six structural parts on show covering about 4' x 3' of wall. At the top an approx 4' long bit of a triangular longeron then an obviously heavily stressed longeron piece where a tubular section joined it then three nondescript structural pieces and a control-cable pulley. There were 15 large photos of the wreck, a number of which I had seen in various Zeppelin histories. There were a number of good large photos taken after the crash and during the dismantling of the ship (with axes!)".
Photo credit: Undetermined
Website: Bergbau und Stadtmuseum
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 50.485818 008.260783, in Weilburg, Germany.
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The Flug- und Luftschiffhafen Rhein-Main opened on July 8, 1936, and became home base ofLZ 127 Graf Zeppelin and LZ 129 Hindenburg. The small community right next door to the airship operations became the center for housing the airship crews and ground operators for the massive effort it took to manage airship flights. "Zeppelinheim" now honors it's history with a unique museum.
Photo credit: Undetermined
Website: Zeppelin Museum Zeppelinheim
The museum is located at (Lat Lon) 50.035142 008.614291, in Zeppelinheim, Germany.
The location of the museum in Google Maps: