1868/1869

An association began in 1869:

It shows its collections.

About the history of Lake Constance.

1912

The museum opened in 1912.

It was called the Lake Constance Museum.

A year later, something new was added.

An exhibition about Count Zeppelin.

And his airships.

1918

The city of Friedrichshafen bought a hotel.

It was called the "Deutsches Haus".

Count Zeppelin used to live there.

The hotel then housed the museum.

And reading rooms.

1920s

After the war, airships were no longer allowed to be built.

The Zeppelin company therefore set up a museum.

In Friedrichshafen.

There you could see parts of airships.

The museum was not open to the public at first.

It was open to the public from 1925.

1927

The association sold the Lake Constance Museum.

To the city of Friedrichshafen.

Because it had no more money.

1938

The museum moved to celebrate Count Zeppelin's 100th birthday.

To a new building.

Count Zeppelin was introduced.

He was an inventor and company boss.

In 1937, an airship crashed.

The Hindenburg.

It was very well known.

Some people were therefore afraid of airships.

The museum therefore showed:

Airships are safe.

And: Airships are German.

That was important to many people at the time.

The company earned money even without travelling.

With weapons.

1944

Bombs destroyed Friedrichshafen.

Even the Lake Constance Museum.

But the things

from the Zeppelin Museum

were somewhere else.

France then took the things.

To a French museum.

But the museum never showed the items.

1957

After the war, they wanted to rebuild the Lake Constance Museum.

This was done in 1957.

In the town hall of Friedrichshafen.

1960

The museum was initially for art.

Upstairs there was space for Zeppelins.

Things came back from France in 1959.

1960 The Zeppelin exhibition opened.

1982

The museum gets a director.

And an association is formed

to help the museum.

1985

More visitors came.

So the museum was made more beautiful.

1987

Over one hundred thousand visitors came that year.

The museum in the town hall was too small.

And more space was needed for expensive paintings.

A larger museum was needed.

1988

The city bought an old railway station.

It was converted.

Into a museum.

It was half the size

as a football pitch.

1992

The Zeppelin Museum GmbH began.

It belongs to the city and the association.

1996

The museum opened.

In the railway station.

Over 230 thousand guests visit every year.

2009-2014

A lot changed between 2009 and 2014.

The museum was remodelled.

And showed more.

Things and photos and films were used.

You could try things out.

There were audio tours.

A new building opened in 2013.

It is located near the Zeppelin factory.

2023

The 7 millionth visitor came on 13 July 2023.

How to get to us

Accessibility information

Archive and library

Questions about the visit

The history of the Zeppelin Museum

Technical tour

Art tour

The museum's technology collection

The museum's art collection

Schauhaus in the Zeppelin village

ZeppGuide at the Zeppelin Museum