The fascination of airships The first zeppelin took off 125 years ago
The departure of the airship "LZ 1" from the swimming hall for the first ascent on July 2, 1900 in Manzell Bay on Lake Constance.
Image: Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen/dpa
The first Zeppelin took off 125 years ago. (symbolic image)
Image: dpa
Count von Zeppelin made history with his airships. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
A total of 36 people lost their lives in the disaster.
Image: dpa
The departure of the airship "LZ 1" from the swimming hall for the first ascent on July 2, 1900 in Manzell Bay on Lake Constance.
Image: Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen/dpa
The first Zeppelin took off 125 years ago. (symbolic image)
Image: dpa
Count von Zeppelin made history with his airships. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
A total of 36 people lost their lives in the disaster.
Image: dpa
Breakdowns, bad luck and mishaps: Count von Zeppelin was 62 years old when he took the wheel of his first airship himself. He didn't have an easy time with his vision.
28.06.2025, 18:02
dpa
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- For its maiden voyage, the first Zeppelin airship rose from a floating assembly hall into the evening sky over Lake Constance on July 2, 1900.
- Count von Zeppelin himself was the commander in charge on board the maiden voyage, at the age of 62.
- It was the beginning of an airship career that was not always successful.
It was the beginning of a career that was not always successful: 125 years ago, on July 2, 1900, the first zeppelin took off from Friedrichshafen. The German airship pioneer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917) started his first test flight with the airship "LZ 1" near Manzell on Lake Constance. However, the prototype did not manage more than three trips.
For its maiden voyage, the first Zeppelin airship rose from a floating assembly hall into the evening sky over Lake Constance on July 2, 1900, according to an essay by today's Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH. "Five people were on board, the propulsion was provided by two Daimler engines with 14.2 hp each." The first trip lasted 18 minutes, after which it was back to the shipyard.
New technical territory and a big risk
"It was a huge step into new technical territory in every respect and a considerable risk," says Jürgen Bleibler from the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen. At the time, the airship quickly found itself in a steep inclined position, a precarious flight attitude. But nothing happened. "The fact that the ship remained reasonably controllable in this position and was able to land again safely was basically the success of the first flight."
The dimensions of the "LZ 1" were unimaginable at the time. According to the expert, the airship consisted of an aluminum skeleton, a hull, gas cells, had a propulsion system with two engines distributed over both nacelles, was 128 meters long and had a diameter of more than 11 meters. The volume was 11,300 cubic meters. The first ascent was also noted by the international press.
Count von Zeppelin himself was at the helm at 62
Count von Zeppelin himself was on board the maiden voyage as the commander in charge, at the age of 62. "He took on the responsibility and staged himself as the mastermind of this spectacular undertaking." He also spent part of his extremely wealthy wife's fortune on his vision.
Flight tests with this giant ship were not possible outside of the public eye. "So Zeppelin sought out the public." From the very beginning, he wanted to impress not only the general public but also politicians, the aristocracy, business and the military with his majestic airships. But the breakthrough only came many years later.
Donation from the people secures financial future
For Zeppelin, this first flight marked the beginning of a long up-and-down story: the aviation pioneer parted company with the prototype after two further ascents, not only because the financial resources of his "Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Luftschiffahrt" were exhausted, but also because better technical solutions very quickly became possible in the early years of the 20th century.
The first trials with the successor model "LZ 2" began at the end of 1905. Zeppelin was only able to cover long distances safely years later with the subsequent models. Engine problems and often also the weather caused problems for the pioneer.
The tide turned with the disaster in Echterdingen in 1908 of all places: after an emergency landing, the "LZ 4" was caught by a gust of wind, driven over the trees and finally went up in flames. Count von Zeppelin was not on board. Tens of thousands of onlookers watch the accident, after which a wave of solidarity with the Count sweeps through Germany - more than six million marks are donated.
Passenger aviation and the "Hindenburg"
After airship missions in the First World War, the turnaround to passenger aviation on intercontinental routes followed in the 1920s and 30s due to the now large non-stop range of 10,000 kilometers. Hugo Eckener, who succeeded Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin after his death, was the driving force behind this.
The Hindenburg, built in 1936, offered scheduled trips across the North Atlantic route to the USA. "This ship did this for almost exactly one year until May 1937, when it burned in Lakehurst," says Bleibler.
The rear fuselage section of the hydrogen gas-filled airship "LZ 129" caught fire when it landed at Lakehurst airship harbor near New York. A total of 35 passengers and crew members as well as one man from the ground crew died in the disaster. The zeppelin, which weighed around 120 tons and was the largest in the world at the time, was completely destroyed.
According to the expert, the fascination with zeppelins has not changed to this day. "The size, the weightlessness of the movement - the zeppelin still has a very positive image." And the images of the Hindenburg disaster: "Everyone still knows them."