Resting place of the largest balloon in the world

What remains of Hindenburg, the world's largest balloon, is being kept in a giant hangar near the capital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Huge size of Hindenburg.(Graphics: Guardian)

The last time a Nazi swastika symbol flew over the American sky was when it was mounted on the first commercial hot air balloon flying across the Atlantic in 1937, according to the Guardian.

The Nazi emblem was decorated on the two ends of the balloon - still the largest-sized flying device ever created, aimed at impressing the world with the ambitions of the airship. acid. It was painted after Hitler took power, according to Jürgen Bleibler, an expert at the Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

" From 1933 onwards, the Nazis spent a lot of money on airship programs, especially for balloons called Hindenburg. In return, they used balloons to propagate. In Germany, contempt The balloon flew over the Berlin Olympic Stadium and the Nuremberg Congress, and in Brazil, they hope to attract more immigrants from Germany and bring them closer to the country , " he said.

The size of the Titanic, three times the length of a football field and far beyond today's modern aircraft, Hindenburg can fly from Frankfurt (Germany) to New Jersey (USA), or fly between Recife and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), with the goal of serving tourism and business, but have tragic ends.

Hindenburg was built in Oberhausen, Germany, then partially transported across the Atlantic to Brazil and reassembled by British engineers.

The reason Brazil was selected for the first transatlantic commercial flights was because the weather here was milder than the routes in the US. The public here is also said to be excited because he warmly welcomed Hindenburg during the 1929 sea voyage around the world, a few years before Hitler officially took power.

The largest balloon in the world only stopped operating after the disaster in New Jersey in May 1937.(Photo: History)

The first flight route is between Frankfurt and Recife, but is then extended to Rio. The speed of the balloon was then 96 km / h, too slow compared to today, but faster than any other ocean moving vehicle at that time.

Passengers in the airship are also served luxury services with bunk beds, pianos, dining rooms and a glass wall area that allows viewing from below 1,000 meters high.

Hindenburg, however, only operated for six months, and in May 1937, before a disaster, burned 200,000 cubic meters of hydrogen gas in the balloon, killing 36 people in Lakehurst, New Jersey, USA.

Until then, the balloon was still considered a symbol of the future . The surviving Rio people still remember the thrill of hearing the sound of this huge means of transport emitting from Copacabana beach.

José dos Santos, only 9 years old in 1937, had him working in a balloon house, saying it was very large, looking like a "monster". He sneaked into the Hindenburg cabin, becoming one of the last survivors to have a chance to admire inside the balloon.

Inside the rest of Hindenburg today.(Photo: Guardian)

Now 89-year-old Santos is working as a salesperson at the hangar, still excited to mention memories with Hindenburg.

The post-disaster air balloon business was cut off and then completely stopped by the war. Today, the rest of the Hindenburg balloon used to organize a barbecue or a collective wedding is near Rio de Janeiro. By the end of November 2016, 800 couples were married here.