Ballonmuseum Gersthofen, Aviation museum in Gersthofen, Germany.
The Balloon Museum Gersthofen is an aviation museum spread across nine levels using a historic water tower and modern building. The collection displays objects showing how balloon technology developed and how people learned to control flight through different periods.
The museum originated from the collection of Augsburg balloonist Alfred Eckert and opened in 1985 as the world's first balloon museum. It preserves records of major achievements in human flight and documents how this form of travel developed over time.
The museum displays the gondola from Baron Joseph Maximilian von Lütgendorf's attempt at Germany's first balloon launch in 1786. You can see the actual equipment that accompanied early pilots in their daring ventures.
The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday with extended hours on Thursdays, and provides 21 audio guides in different languages. Plan time to walk through all nine levels and explore the exhibits at a comfortable pace.
The museum houses Auguste Piccard's pressure capsule used in 1931 to set a stratospheric flight record of 15,785 meters. This equipment reveals how daring pilots pushed the boundaries of human flight in the early 20th century.
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