Deutsche Raumfahrtausstellung Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz

The German Space Travel Exhibition stands in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, a village in south-west Saxony near the Czech border. It began in 1979 to mark the first joint Soviet–East German space flight and now occupies a modern building with an outdoor Planetenpark. The exhibition is run by a non-profit association and attracts up to 70,000 visitors each year. A major expansion is under way, funded by federal and state ministries, with completion planned for 2027. Until then, visitors enter through a temporary side entrance. The street outside is named Dr.-Sigmund-Jähn-Straße after the first German in space. The collection covers four main themes developed with the German Aerospace Center and the German Museum Munich. It traces the history of spaceflight, shows how space benefits life on Earth, explains Germany’s role in international projects, and honours German researchers, engineers and astronauts. Important exhibits include a base block from the Soviet MIR station, original spacesuits, a V2 rocket engine and a MiG-21F-13 aircraft. Visitors can also see models of rockets and shuttles, the AZUR satellite engineering model, experiments from Salyut, MIR and the ISS, and a Soyuz–ISS coupling simulator. Inside, the exhibition is arranged to guide visitors through the story of space exploration. Outside, the Planetenpark presents scale models of the solar system and a space-themed playground. Nearby, the former railway building now serves as a guesthouse and bistro with space and steampunk decor. The association that runs the exhibition organises space days with astronauts, cosmonauts and scientists, bringing experts and enthusiasts together.