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The Reference on Airships

Airship and LTA Museums

This list of museums is an attempt to name any museums that have collections dedicated or relevant to aerostation. It has yet to grow and I encourage you to send suggestions.

Aeronauticum, Nordholz, Germany

The Aeronauticum specializes in German airship and naval aviation. The museum is located near Cuxhaven, near the coast, 30 km West of Hamburg. Follow the Anfahrt link for a location map. Also has an unofficial site.

Airship Heritage Trust at the Royal Airforce Museum, Cardington, England

The collection includes several Skyship gondolas and the gondola of a WWII US Navy blimp. The airship exhibits are not visible on a regular basis and arrangemetns have to be made in advance to view the collection.

Airship Plaza, Lelystad, Netherlands

This museum opened in Lelystad, East of Amsterdam, in July 2000. It features extensive hot air and gas ballooon and helim and hot air airship exhibits. The museum is located where Rigid Airship Design N.V. is hoping to build its construction facilities and airship port.

Albert Sammt Zeppelin Museum, Neiderstetten, Germany

The museum is located in Neiderstetten between Heilbronn and Wurzburg. Contact: Informations- und Kulturamt, Bahnhofstrasse 15, Niederstetten. Telephone: +49 7932 1305 or 7932 534.

Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Construction on the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum in the purported balloon capital of the world started in October 2002. The museum is scheduled to open to visitors during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October 2004. It is notable that the Anderson-Abruzzo Museum got a significant head-start when it acquired the collection of the Soukup & Thomas International Balloon and Airship Museum when the latter closed its doors in 2000. The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is owned and operated by the Cultural Services Department of the City of Albuquerque and supported by the Maxie Anderson Foundation.

Balloon Preservation Group, England

This group has an extensive collection of historical hot air aerostats including a number of hot air airships. Most of the balloons are still flown at special events organized by the group.

British Balloon Museum and Library, Old Windsor, England

The collection includes dozens of hot air balloon envelopes and other balloon parts. The museum also holds several hot air airships, including the envelope of a very early Thunder Ax.3 (AS-33).

Château de Balleroy, Balleroy, France

Located in a beautiful French castle this balloon museum was founded by publisher Malcolm Forbes to host his collection of balloon paraphernalia.

Deutsches Museum, Luftfahrtabteilung, Munich, Germany

Comments still need to be worked on.

Farnborough Air Sciences Trust Airship Museum, Farnborough, England

The F.A.S.T. is hoping to rebuild the old airship hangars at Farnborough to host a new airship museum. Two of the airships from the the Balloon Preservation Group will be handed over to enhance the collection.

Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, New York, NY, USA

Located on an aircraft carrier anchored at the docks on the East River in New York City this museum houses an interesting collection of US Navy blimp historical artifacts. The museum bookstore also carries several books on Navy blimps. (I got an authographed copy of "Blimps and U-Boats" by J. Gordon Vaeth.)

Meeresburg Zeppelin Museum, Meeresburg, Germany

The museum is located in Meeresburg near Lake Constance. Address is: Zeppelin-Museum, Schlossplatz 8, D-88709 Meeresburg. Telephone: +49 7532 7090.

Moffet Federal Airfield Museum, Mountain View, California, USA

Comments still need to be worked on.

Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris le Bourget, France

A special hall, dedicated entirely to balloons, was opened in 1995. In the grande galerie one can admire various airship scale models, two videos about WW balloons and airships, and the rear gondola of a Zeppelin airship.

Musée Mondial de l'Aerostation, Château de Balleroy, Calvados, France

Founded by media magnate Malcolm Forbes in 1974 and housed in the Balleroy castle, this museum presents balloon artwork and paraphernalia. It also contains many items from the modern ballooning era, including hot air and gas ballooning equipment.

National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA

Due to its being a national museum it has fairly large resources and features a very complete history of aviation. Its holdings include several U.S. Navy blimp gondolas and models of rigid and non-rigid airships. The museum's bookstore often has quite a variety of choices. I found Roxie Munro's "Blimps" children's book which explains the principles of airship flight in a very clear and easily understandable manner.

National Aviation Museum, Ottawa, Canada

Comments still need to be worked on.

National Balloon Museum, Indianola, Iowa, USA

The museum has undergone significant expansion and as of 2004 also features a brand new official website.

National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida, USA

The collection includes several World War II U.S. Navy blimp gondolas, models and pictures. Documentation on Navy blimps is very complete.

National Museum of Science, London, England

I last visited this museum in 1990. At that time it had one showcase dedicated to early French non-rigid airships, one with models of British rigid airships and a model of a Thunder & Colt hot air airship and a last showcase with several models of the Airship Industries (now Airship Technologies Inc.) Skyships.

Soukup & Thomas International Balloon & Airship Museum, Mitchell, South Dakota, USA

According to reports in Balloon Life and Ballooning, the Soukup & Thomas International Balloon & Airship Museum closed its doors in 2000 due to lack of funding from the founders. The National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa, and the Anderson-Abruzzo Balloon Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, competed to take over the exhibits. The Anderson-Abruzzo Museum prevailed and the Soukup & Thomas collection will be on display once again in a new purpose-built museum in Albuquerque starting in October 2004.

The World of Rubber, Akron, Ohio, USA

This museums describes the history of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company including its legendary Navy and advertising blimps. The museum store sells a respectable amount of airship memorabilia, especially related to Goodyear.

Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum, Tillamook, Oregon, USA

Tillamook NAS is one of the largest non-supported structures in the world. You can usually see several aerostats in the hangar, among them the Helicrane and the US-LTA 138s prototype.

Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern, Switerland

The collection includes models of Zeppelin rigid airships and early balloons. There is also material about the Swiss blimps used during World War II.

Zeppelin Museum, Friedrichshafen, Germany

This is the greatest airship museum. After being housed in the attic of the Friedrichshafen City Hall for years, it finally found a new home in the Hafenbahnhof building on the shore of Lake Constance. The opening of the new museum on July 2, 1996, coincided with the first presentation of the new Zeppelin NT 07 to the public. Its main attraction is a life-scale reproduction of the passenger deck of the Hindenburg.

Zeppelinmuseum Zeppelinheim, Neu-Isenburg-Zeppelinheim (near Frankfurt), Germany

I visited this museum in January 1999 and was most impressed. The collection is very dense and extensive. People involved with the museum range from passengers of the original Zeppelins to young airship enthusiasts and engineers.

Is there a museum you would want to see listed in this place? Please tell me (webmaster@myairship.com) and I will add it to the list.