Flugmuseum Aviaticum

The Flugmuseum Aviaticum stands beside the runway at Wiener Neustadt/Ost airfield in Lower Austria. It moved into a historic hangar after leaving its former home in a Diamond Aircraft hall. The museum traces its origins to a 1983 plan for a Segelflugmuseum near Hainburg that never opened. The collection grew from the early efforts of Toni Kahlbacher and Reinhard Keimel. With backing from Wiener Neustadt city, the provincial government and Diamond Aircraft, the Aviaticum finally opened in 1999. A private foundation and a local club now run the displays, which focus on Austria’s gliding heritage. Visitors find a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a Meteor FL 54 among the few remaining aircraft. A rebuilt Pischof Autoplan from 1910 and a gas balloon of 900 cubic metres also feature. The hangar walls hold gliders such as the DFS Olympia Meise and the Hütter H 17, while flight simulators and piston engines fill the rest of the space.