Hangar Y, Airship hangar in Meudon, France
Hangar Y is a former airship hangar in Meudon, 70 metres long, 24 wide and 23 high. Its facade has a broad gabled top filled with a grid of glass panes in grey framing, a band of reddish-brown brick divided by vertical grey ribs, and lower arched brick panels meeting around a grey gabled entrance with a double door and a small circular window. Inside, a wooden roof structure spans the space.
The building was erected in 1879 and incorporated structural elements from Paris's 1878 Universal Exhibition machinery gallery. It was the first space specifically designed to house airships and quickly became a site of important technical breakthroughs.
The space now serves as an art venue where yearly exhibitions link themes of science, nature, and contemporary art through different installations. Visitors can walk through works that engage with modern subjects and creative ideas.
The site is surrounded by a 10-hectare natural park offering space to walk and relax. On-site there is a waterfront restaurant and several workshop rooms that support various events and activities.
On 9 August 1884, Charles Renard and Arthur Krebs took La France from here on the first fully steered flight to return to its starting point, a circuit of about 7.6 km that passed over Villacoublay. The airship was built in the hangar in 1879 by Renard, his brother Paul and Krebs, who added the first known engine test laboratory to the complex.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,985 contributors worldwide.
