German Würzburg-Riese WWII parabolic antenna

The "Würzburg-Riese" was a radar device used in the Second World War. It reflected radar signals and could be used to determine the direction and position of aircrafts up to 70 km away. Initially developed by AEG and Telefunken, about 1500 of these devices were built by the Zeppelin-Werke. For some decades after the war, some of these devices were used at various places in Europe as antennae in the new and pioneering field of radio astronomy. The antenna on display was used by radio astronomers of the Dutch observatory in Dwingeloo, who mainly studied the radio signals of the sun. To observe weaker objects in radio astronomy larger antennae were required. In 1991 the “Würzburg-Riese” was donated to the Deutsches Museum as part of the new Astronomy Exhibition. Following its restoration in the aircraft workshops of the Flugwerft Schleißheim, the antenna was re-erected in 1993 outside the main building.