The German Gliding Museum, Aviation museum in Gersfeld, Germany
The German Gliding Museum is an aviation museum on the Wasserkuppe in Gersfeld, Germany, displaying aircraft from many different periods of soaring flight. The collection ranges from early hang gliders to fiberglass sailplanes and covers the full arc of German gliding history.
The museum was founded in 1987, growing out of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the first Rhön gliding contest. That contest started in 1920 on the Wasserkuppe and is seen as a turning point in the history of soaring flight.
The museum's name and site tie to the Wasserkuppe's role as the birthplace of gliding: from 1920 until the start of the Second World War it was the world centre of motorless flight, and the annual Rhön contests began there in 1920. The collection combines regional, technical and sport history, from Otto Lilienthal's gliders to modern plastic sailplanes, alongside model flying classes and engines.
The museum stands on the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön, in the Hessian district of Fulda. Its own workshop in the basement, run by volunteers, opens every other Saturday; it prepares aircraft for display and even builds new ones. The large archive is open to researchers by prior appointment only.
The museum's own workshop in the basement builds aircraft for the display and even constructs new ones; it is run by volunteers and opens only every other Saturday, so a visit needs luck with timing. Around 25 aircraft not on show are kept in storage.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,847 contributors worldwide.
