At the Balloon Museum in Gersthofen, you can experience the history of ballooning in Germany in a vivid way. Since 1985, the Balloon Museum Gersthofen has been housed in the old water tower of Gersthofen, north of Augsburg. As the museum has grown over the years, it was expanded in 2003 with a new building and now offers even more exhibition space. For a detailed history of ballooning in Gersthofen and Augsburg.
It is no coincidence that the Balloon Museum is located in this region. Augsburg was an early focus for German balloonists. In 1786, Maximilian Freiherr von Lütgendorf attempted – unsuccessfully, unfortunately – to become the first German to ascend in a balloon in Augsburg's Siebentischwald forest. After the city of Augsburg prohibited the aviation pioneer from making another attempt, he tried again in Gersthofen, which was a small village at the time. Today, a faithful replica of his gondola can be seen here in the Balloon Museum in Augsburg.
Photo: Balloon Museum in Gersthofen near Augsburg
Photo: Balloon Museum in Gersthofen near Augsburg
The August Riedinger Balloon Factory in Augsburg was founded in 1897. By the Second World War, the company had become the global market leader. At around the same time, the fourth free balloon club in the German Empire was founded, which is still known today as the Freiballonverein Augsburg e.V. (Augsburg Free Balloon Club).
But that wasn't all, because in 1931 Prof. Auguste Piccard and his assistant, Paul Kipfer, set a special world record: he ascended in his balloon to a height of 15,781 meters, which remains unmatched to this day. A replica of the pressure sphere is also on display in the Balloon Museum.
Exhibition themes at the Balloon Museum in Gersthofen
* The beginnings of ballooning in Germany
* Technology, balloon manufacturing, and ballooning
* Balloons in the service of science and the military
* Records and disasters
* The "air balloon" conquers the world
* Alfred Eckert aeronautics collection
Address Balloon Museum Gersthofen
Gersthofen Balloon Museum
Bahnhofstraße 12
86368 Gersthofen