LZ 5 inside the swimming Hall at Manzell near Friedrichshafen

The first dirigibles: LZ 1 - LZ 5

The first flight of a rigid Airship took place on the July 2nd 1900 at the beach of Manzell near Friedrichshafen. The feedback at the press was very different, but Count of Zeppelin was convinced of his construction of a rigid scragg with gas-ballonets inside. He tried to improve his airship by building a better steering-system. After two more successful flights he must liquidate his company because the lack of money. The LZ 1 was wrecked.
Count of Zeppelin worked hard and reached his goal, to get enough money to build a new dirigible. But the first flight of LZ 2 ended with a disaster. Strong winds prevented a return to the swimming hall and it must landed on a farmers field at the Allgäu. Overnight a storm was coming and made strong damages, so the airship must wrecked. But the "crazy Count", like some people called him, keep on with his ideas. At September 1907 the virgin flight of the ameliorated LZ 3 took place. This was the first useable airship of Count Zeppelin. The army bought this Zeppelin and gave it the name: "Z I". It flew without accident until 1913 and than it was wrecked as an air-veteran.

Count of Zeppelin in front of the German-house at Friedrichshafen. I converted the picture into a stereoview. .

It was planed, to demonstrate the military usability with a 24-hour-flight with the successor LZ 4. Count of Zeppelin started on the August 4th 1908 to Mainz. On the way back, they were used to land near Echterdingen/Stuttgart, because of problems with the engines. Once more there was a storm with pulled out the dirigible of it's embodiment. The airship exploded and with it, it seems, the dreams of Count Zeppelin.
But meantime, the Germans identify themselves with the Zeppelin-dirigibles and with a flood of money-give he could continue his project and establish the Zeppelin Luftschiffbau GmbH. Very fast they go on with building the LZ 5. It made a spectucalar flight to Bitterfeld. Later it was overtaken by the army and got the name "Z II". But it has the same destiny like the LZ 4. April 24th it burned in a storm near Weilburg/Lahn.

Picture of the "Kaiserpanorama" (not 3D)

Like I wrote at the history of stereoskopy on my homepage (Geschichte der Stereoskopie-only in German), Mr. August Fuhrmann established a Company with the poetical Name: "Kaiserpanorama". With big round stereoviewer for up to 25 people, he showed for a small entrance fee, stereoviews from all over the world. His viewers were built in all big cities of Germany and his archives holded about 1.000 series with more than 50.000 hand-painted stereo-slides. The German collector Mr. Eberhard Senf, Schöfließerstr. 97a; 13465 Berlin (Phone ++49/30/4013543) had the chance many years ago, to bought a big archives of such pictures. He established the "Stereoskopischen Bildverleih-Kaiser-Panorama-Berlin", that means a small company, which lend "Kaiserpanorama"-stereoviews. In his archives, there are found about 50 stereoviews with Count Zeppelin himselves and the dirigibles. They were made in Friedrichshafen, at the disaster of Echterdingen and the berlin-trip 1909. Mr. Senf makes repros for money. You must pay the pruductions-costs + a honorarium oft 30,- Euros for publishing. He lend viewers for presentation, too. Because of our small budget it wasn't possible for us, to show some of his stereoviews.

From the "Förderverein für Kaiser-Panoramen e.V.", z.Hd. Karsten Hälbig; Fridagsweg 9; D-29223 Celle (Phone ++49/5141/34520) the Zeppelin Museum bought a nice copy of a photo, that shows Count Zeppelin in front of the German House at Friedrichshafen. The original is a mono-picture, which was converted into a stereoview by myself.

The painting-artist, Mr. Bernhard Klinckerfuss was a enthusiastic (and very aptly) stereophotographer. He made a great series of the landing in Echterdingen. Some of this pictures are really wonderfull. The show the people of Stuttgart, which came out to see the Zeppelin. And he visited the swimming-hall at Manzell and made stereoviews there, too.

Gondola of the LZ 4, landet near Echterdingen

Farther there are to name the archives of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin (found at the Zeppelin Museum) themselves. They have 2 bad-quality stereoviews of the LZ 3 with the format 9 x 13 cm. Next a very interesting series of glas-plate-stereoviews with the format 4,5 x 10,7 cm. They show the LZ 4 in front swimming-hall of Manzell, flying over Stuttgart, landed in Echterdingen an 2 pictures after the disaster of the destroyed airship. The front-picture of my homepage was made there. One more stereoview shows the LZ 5 inside the swimming-hall on the Lake of Constance. A few images are the same as from Mr. Klinckerfuss and I'm shure, that he was the photographer.

LZ 3 - landing on the ground (Bild: Neue Photografische Gesellschaft)

In beginning of the last century, in Germany there was a company founded, named: "Neue Photographische Gesellschaft A.G.", Steglitz-Berlin. They produced stereoviews with the format 9 x 18 cm for 25 Pfennig each (if someone has taken more, just 20 Pfennig). They offered nearly 15.000 motives. One series with dirigibles pictures:

1. Im Fluge über Friedrichshafen
2. Landung auf festem Boden
3. Erste Landung mit direktem Steuer
4. Im Fluge
5. Landung, Vorderansicht
6. Landung, Ansicht von der Seite
7. Landung

LZ 3 im Fluge (NPG und Keystone View Company)

The picture nr. 4 was overtaken by the Keystone View Company at the world war series with new nr. 18000. Titled: "Zeppelin Flying Over a German Town - Lower Valley of the Rhine".

From the first Zeppelin-Museum, which was placed at the Zeppelin-docks, there is a stereoview with a model of the "air-train" that was one of the first plans oft Count Zeppelin. The owner told me, that it is out of a series with views from the first Zeppelin-Museum. But unfortunatly he bought just one image.

One Collector told me, that he have stereoviews of the ILA 1909 at Cologne, but unfortunatly he was not willing to show them to me or make repros. Other private pictures I didn't found. But the Zeppelin Museum got a small series of stereoviews from the "Paceval".

If someone has more stereoviews - contact me!