A hidden treasure of a museum - and nobody knows it
 

Pic
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/medien/he...e1,298411.html


Text
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/Te...art270,2891978


the article claims that after fusion of East- and WestGerman airforces and the British giving up Gatow, the small airfield in the West of Berlin has become the biggest collection of old fighterplanes and fighterbombers in the world. Don't know if that is true or a reporter's exaggeration, but nevertheless it seems to be a pretty precious collection of planes from the WWII era, and a huge collection of planes from the cold war era, both Eatern and Western models. Over 220 types are on display, they say.

And nobody knows that this official museum of the German Luftwaffe exists.

Entrance is free.

The pieces are rotting while exposed to weather, rain and sunlight.

tourism bureaus do not list it, or lead people to a wrong adress, the postal adress of the office 5 km east of it.

It would be a good idea to move this huge collection of planes (220, 65 from cold war era, the rest from WWII) to Tempelhof which is no longer active since some months. But no - the communist-socialist big coalition in Berlin, led by an extremely narcissistic, arrogant and incompetent mayor with ambitions in federal politics (poor germany), decided - or better the mayor all alone decided - that there should be a yearly fashion show, and eventually one of the hangars becomes home to a local icehockey club.

To do justice, one should say the defence ministry's enthusiams to move the museum also is minimal.

What a waste of space, place and reputation in Tempelhof.

If you visit berlin, check the museum out. But you must find out yourselve where it is, must be the old British airfield at Gatow. I can't tell you, because I did not know myself that it has been installed there. Just follow the map shopwing the old airfield. Do not follow the postal adresses for the office in the centre of the city.

I know head to Google Earth to check if I can see something. :)

Nice find but It's a pity it wasn't a previously unknown tank/armoured vehicle museum :DL

Edit: I'm struggling to even identify two aircraft hangars in the area on Google Earth :hmmm:

Yes, the museum in Gatow is huge (by German standards:D). The planes inside the hangars are all well preserved while the ones standing outside are in a poor condition.
BTW there are also many WWI replicas (some even flyable) in one of the hangars and there are also radar stations and SAMs on display.
It is definitely worth a visit especially since it is for free (although I would gladly pay 5€ and see the planes outside be restored to their former beauty...but I guess that is what the frequently ignored donation box is for).

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1426/image1xf.jpg

coordinates at the bottom of the pic

:o:o:o:o:o

My god, that IS a hidden gem, MiGs, Hinds, Canberras, F-104s, Su-22s, Percival Pembroke, and missiles too, SA-2, SA-3, SA-5, Hawks, Pershing I.

That's made my list of places to visit in Germany, right up there with the Fulda gap :up:

Cheers Sky http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...s/thumbsup.gif

wow... wish we had one of those here.:o

I know lets requisition it in the name of subsim and then somehow restore the planes to flying condition and let the loltwaffles fly.

Why bother? We know how they'll turn up...

Yeah but do you really want to destroy some perfectly good airplanes? :rotfl:

Then they would be in a worse condition than what they are already :O:

Homepage of a support organisation

http://www.luftwaffenmuseum.de/

(pics of the planes under "Exponate")

And another, English site on it:

http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/E...ffe_Museum.htm

The museum can be entered with bicycles if asking for permission at the gate. Which maybe is a good idea, considering the size. Gatow is also a nice looking rural area - at least when I lived in Berlin 20 years ago. What house construction and other desasters may have done to the place I cannot say.

And finally, a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoS0V...eature=related

That is really one huge impressive list of aircraft :rock:

It would require an all day visit/tour to do the collection any justice.

Probably several days. Many visitors said that the program cannot be done in one day. There are nine hangars, and the tower, all filled with more planes, and several educational historic programs as well.

I once was at Gatow Airfield, im my youth, when the Brits still were there, it was a "public day". And with my family we repeatedly walked in the surrounding rural country. Back then there was not as much settlements as there seem to be now. One of the most favourite areas in Berlin to live in, I would say. Not so much "big city" flair, you know, but a bit more rural. Due to the river Havel and the wall even a bit isolated from the rest of the city, which I liked.

Sounds a little like the ever shrinking rural areas in Britain due to ever expanding towns, cities and business areas. Beats me, (the last part) why all these small industrial units keep getting constructed in an age where unemployment is rising.

I was wondering, do you have any idea what the gift shop sells/has for sale?