Airship LZ 10 “Schwaben”

It was one of the largest airships of its time: LZ 10 “Schwaben” was 132 m long with a diameter of 14 m. Three Maybach engines with 145 hp each created a top speed of 78 kmph.

LZ 10 “Schwaben” was not only one of the largest, but also one of the most successful means of transport at the beginning of the 20th century. It set on its way for the first time on 26 June 1911. After some improvements had been made, LZ 10 was able to start a second time on 20 July 1911 with 16 passengers on board. The landing was planned for Lucerne. However, the pilot decided otherwise: he circled over the airstrip in Lucerne a few times and returned to the starting place on Lake Constance via Zurich and Winterthur. On the way people cheered, some even climbed onto the roofs of their houses to be as close to the airship as possible.

In 224 journeys, the airship LZ 10 “Schwaben” covered a total of 27,321 km and transported 4,354 passengers. Unfortunately the airship only became one year old. In June 1912, on the way to Düsseldorf, it hit a hall wall and burnt out.