Dornier Museum:
the pioneering spirit
Motivation
Dornier has made history. The development of the company is intrinsically linked to the visions of Claude Dornier, whose preference for technology, and fascination of flying, have made the Dornier Museum one of the most innovative in Germany. The Dornier Museum therefore intends to focus not only on the prominent technical achievements of Aviation and Space Technology and Operations, but they also want to show how revolutionary ideas occur against the background of contemporary history. The museum that’s currently being built in Friedrichshafen at the Bodensee, wants to inspire people and enable them to witness "history".
"The Dornier Museum is not only an emotional experience for technology lovers, we want to inspire all history buffs, inquisitive people, families with children, young people with big ideas, and cause them to think", said Cornelius Dornier, the son of Silvius Dornier, and the project manager of the museum.
Concept of the Museum
The permanent exhibition of the Dornier Museum is divided into three categories. The core piece is the so called "Museum Box". The history of the Dornier Company, and the history of the development of Air and Space travel over the past hundred years, against the background of contemporary history, will be shown in a circuit. Countless world records, patents, and technological achievements, document the spectacular career of Dornier. Political, economical, and social frameworks show what motivated and inspired people in the past.
You can actually feel the fascination of flying in the hangar at the southern runway the airport Friedrichshafen. You can get a close up on the predominantly ‘still flyable’ ‘originals’ like the Do 27, the Do 228 ,and the hulk of the first prototype of Do 31. All of the models are legendary classics in the history of flight and there are countless myths and stories about them. They will be transported to the museum by air or by road in time for the opening in summer 2009. Another highlight is the Dornier Merkur, an aeroplane from the 20’s, which has been built for the museum by a special company in Hungary. And if a search operation off the coast of Morocco is successful, the Dornier Wal will also join the exhibition, where work on it will be completed.
The main focus points of the gallery are exhibits on data processing as well as conversion of energy set against the technological background of the Dornier Museum’s products. Several exhibition pieces show how technological achievements were made in other branches due to Dornier’s vision and lateral thinking. A kidney lithotripter (a device for the treatment of kidney stones) shows visitors how technology from the aviation industry came to be used by the medical industry.
Architecture
The Dornier Museum is a modern, spacious building that demonstrates technological advances in authentic surroundings. The layout of the museum is a hangar that is based on a an envisaged part of the airfield at the Friedrichshafen airport. The exhibition building with an area of around 5,000 square meters will be built on park-land with an area of about 25,000 square meters. The hangar with an area of around 2,500 square meters will provide more than enough space for the aeroplanes.
Friedrichshafen at the Bodensee is the birthplace of the Dornier company, and therefore a suitable place to have the museum.
Website: 
www.dorniermuseum.de
