Futuristic Interiors of German WWII Airship Hindenburg

The grand German airship LZ Hindenburg was the first aircraft to provide regular scheduled air services between Europe and North America. This photo gallery reveals rare images of the passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg, which symbolized the peak of technological advancement during the pre-World War II era.

Back when airplanes were not the primary means of transcontinental air travel, the LZ 129 Hindenburg was a force to be reckoned with. The grand German airship was the first aircraft to provide regular scheduled air services between Europe and North America. It took the airship only 43 hours to fly across the Atlantic, which at that time was considered incredibly fast, since even the fastest passenger ships took at least 4 days to cover the same distance. The real carte-de-visite that made the Hindenburg prominent was its futuristic design. The Hindenburg disaster on May 6, 1937, put an end to the idea of using Zeppelins in long-distance air travel. Our photo gallery reveals rare images of the passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg, which symbolized the peak of technological advancement during the pre-WWII era.

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© AP Photo

Above: The dirigible Hindenburg is shown in its final stages of construction in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on March 6, 1936.

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© East News / Everett Collection

Above: Inside the Hindenburg Airship – interior corridor of the passenger cabin. Aluminum was used wherever it was possible to decrease the vessel’s weight.

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© AP Photo

Above: A crew member is cooking in the kitchen. A modern, electrically-equipped kitchen provided first-class food for the passengers and crew.

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© East News / Everett Collection

Above: Cabins were equipped with hot and cold water, double storey beds, and a built-in writing table.

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© Wikipedia

Above: The dining room was 14 meters long and 4 meters wide, decorated with paintings on silk wallpaper.

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© Wikipedia

Above: The lounge, with the world map painted on the wall, depicted the routes of explorers Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco de Gama, Captain Cook and Columbus. In 1936, the lounge had a 160-kg grand piano, but later it had to be removed due to its size and weight.

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© AP Photo

Above: The Hindeburg disaster. Taken the second Hindenburg exploded, this historical photo shows the 804-foot German zeppelin just before its crash over the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, N.J.