Today was our shortest cycling day, very welcome after yesterday’s marathon. We visited much of today’s route on our last Motorhome adventure so there will be no more pretty pictures of Meersburg or Hagnau. Neither will we talk about the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen – been there, done that and, if you’re interested you’ll have to read ‘Italian Adventure – JustGo 2019. We know this is no way to treat our trusty readers but we’re going to anyway.
Max, our green cycle book, suggested the Zeppelin Museum in Meersburg was worth a visit so, less than an hour from our start, we stopped for some culture. The museum opened in 1989 and houses a private collection of Zeppelin memorabilia. We pushed the bikes up a steep hill, secured them to railings and were greeted by the German receptionist who was extremely proud of the museum and the authenticity of its exhibits. She was also disparaging about the Friedrichshafen museum, all in very excitable German. It’s surprising what you can pick up from a tone of voice and some arm waving.
We were happily browsing the memorabilia, fascinated by the story of Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin, when she came rushing over shouting ‘Englisch, englisch’. She didn’t want us to miss the information film just starting with English commentary. The story of the development of airships through to the fatal Hindenburg disaster was fascinating and well worth the stop.
Meersburg, apart from being picture postcard pretty, is quite a hub for ferries across the lake and, consequently, very busy. We cycled a few kilometres on and stopped for a coffee break in a yacht club. Not quite as grand as it sounds but we were overlooking the lake and it was quiet.
Light rain kept us company as we cycled towards the Dornier Museum on the outskirts of Friedrichshafen. The museum attracted us with its boast of ‘a luxury terrace where, if you are lucky, you can see zeppelins take off’. We were sold, the history of Dornier aviation was almost secondary
For €300, you can have a 30 min flight in one of these modern day airships, a fraction of the size of the 245m Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg. For €970 you are able to take a trip and see Rheinfall from above. Kim was tempted but the first ticket isn’t available until October.
Now onto Claude Dornier, the founder of the Dornier company and inventor of seaplanes. He was head-hunted by Graf von Zeppelin, designing a Zeppelin shed on a turntable in order for the airship to take advantage of the best weather conditions. The mind boggles at the scale of the engineering involved. Dornier went on to design and manufacture seaplanes. From a humble background, he made sure his workers were looked after, helping them to finance their own homes by funding 60% of the build cost.
Here’s a link to the museums site. If you ever find yourselves in the area, it’s an amazing place to visit. https://www.dorniermuseum.de
Despite losing everything in WWII, Claude restarted his business manufacturing small electrical goods and weaving looms. Today Lindauer Dornier is back in aviation and aeronautics, designing and manufacture satellites. What a legacy to leave and you have to love a museum that has pedal cars to keep children entertained amongst the exhibits.
In case you’re jealous of our lovely scenery and hotels, tonight we are in a Comfort Hotel, on an industrial estate underneath the flight path of Friedrichshafen airport.
braysabroad 