What can I say about the Wasserkuppe? It is the birthplace of gliding as we know it – the home of Otto Lillienthals early experiments, scene of the early developments and tragedies in gliding as the pioneers experimented and sometimes paid with their lives in pursuit of the dream of flying like the birds. The iconic memorial to all those who died in the pursuit of the dream of birdlike flight is a pilgrimage for any glider pilot.
The Wasserkuppe is so named because it is a broad hill shaped like an upside-down cup - you can launch yourself off the hill in almost any direction dependent on the wind direction. Today it is the site of one of the worlds great soaring museums, (including some very interesting aero-modeling exhibits) it has a runway, an active flight training school, is home to paragliders, radio control slope soaring gliders, full size gliders, and is a very popular weekend destination for many bikers and tourists – it has busy restaurants and gift shops surrounding the soaring museum.
The Eagle Monument
This is one of the truly stirring monuments to our pioneering airmen and to me, it truly captures the spirit of those who yearn to fly like the eagles. A large bronze eagle, perched on a craggy mount, looking out to the horizon. Created in 1923 it serves as a testament to the dreams of all glider pilots.
Just seeing this monument with your own eyes makes the trip worth while.
The Bronze Eagle Monument created in 1923.The Museum
It would be impossible to do justice to this museum in a short blog, however I've included a few of my personal highlights here – Otto Lillienthal's first hang-glider, and the Riehe-III, the most beautiful of the old gullwing wooden gliders, plus the pioneering D36 that started the modern glider revolution. The ASW12 prototype was very interesting to me – they also had the BS1 (built by Glasflugel) and a 2-seat LS glider that never made it to production. Plus many weird and wonderful creations, some uglier than you could possibly imagine.
Lillienthals original glider
The Reiher III – to my eyes one of the most beautiful gliders ever made
More of the Riehe – showing the beautiful wood root fairings and gull wing.
The museum is extremely good value at just 3Euro entry fee. The extensive aeromodelling exhibit includes all kinds of free flight , radio control and control line models with some classic designs and beautifully built models – all the exhibits are a true monument to excellent craftsmanship.
Surrounding the glider exhibits is an extensive history of gliding in Germany, unfortunately only written in German, however it is not too difficult to piece together the stories from a limited German vocabulary and joining the dots with the pictures.
The Ornith – a 2 seat LS glider made by a Akaflieg but never put into production
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