Belgrade tales: Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade

Visit the glass monument

If you are on this site at all and reading this article, than I may assume that most of you are really into planes and flying from one country to another. As a wanderlust, you have probably spent so much time in the plane and waiting at the airport, that you consider it as your second home. However, would you like to learn more about the history of aviation and find out some really interesting anecdotes? Then I have just the right place of you. Continuing our journey of Belgrade tales, today I am taking you to, sometimes forgotten, Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade (Muzej Vazduhoplovstva Beograd).

This small but rather unique museum is located in the immediate proximity of the Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade. As a matter of fact, it is situated only at about five minutes walking from the main terminal which makes it a perfect visiting spot upon your arrival or to spend some** quality time** before a departure. Trust me, this is a way better option than just waiting at the airport.

The Aeronautical Museum is recognizable by the building, which has a distinctive and absolutely glass design. However, don’t let the looks fool you! This museum if way more than just a pretty building on the outdoor. Inside, there are various interesting attractions and exhibitions, especially if you are into aviation. And if you are not, I still thing that anyone can find interesting and relevant attractions related to air transportation, which is definitely not used daily, thus not dull yet. Moreover, the museum possesses an excellent collection of aircraft that once collapsed in the army, as well as wrecks of US F-117 "Nighthawk" and F-16 "Fighting Falcon" aircraft that were dropped during the NATO bombing in 1999.

In addition to the craft collection, the museum also has a large collection of textbooks, documents, photographs, radars and projectiles as well as various aeronautical equipment. Therefore, if you would really like to dig deeper into the history of aviation, the museum is just the perfect place. Honestly, it is a rather exciting place to visit, not just not just for aviation enthusiasts, but also for anyone who wants to learn something new.

Another interesting thing about the museum is that it safeguards the very first artifact from the collection, which originates from the wreckage of one of the first planes that had ever flown in Serbia, dating back to in 1911. That year, the famous pilot Edward Rusjan went over the Kalemegdan fortress. Unfortunately, on that very day, the weather conditions were bad and the strong wind made one of the wings fall apart, which led to the demolition of the aircraft and the tragic death of its pilot. This event was watched by many **Belgraders. **One of them was Strahinja-Bane Nusic, the son of famous Serbian comedian. Nusic-junior took a part of the rib from the wing of the fallen airplane and kept it all his life, always claiming that one day much would be worth in the museum, which as a matter of fact, turned out to be true today.