Swiss Military Museum

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The Swiss Military Museum (German: Schweizerisches Militärmuseum Full) is located at Full-Reuenthal in the Canton of Aargau.

History of the museum

The origins of the museum go back to the Verein zur Förderung eines wehrtechnischen Museums ("Association for the Promotion of a Military Museum"), which was founded by Thomas Hug and friends. In 1989, the Festungsmuseum Reuenthal ("Reuenthal Fortress Museum") was opened. The construction of the military museum in Full on a former industrial site began in 1998.^[1] The sponsor of the Swiss Military Museum in Full is the Verein Militär- und Festungsmuseum Full-Reuenthal ("Full-Reuenthal Military and Fortress Museum") or VMFM. Until 2011 the association offices were located in the old Reuenthal Fortress, which it has also operated as a museum since 1989. A new museum hall was opened in April 2010.

Collection

The museum displays military hardware and uniforms of Swiss and foreign armed forces, mainly from World War II and the Cold War. The museum displays mainly tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns of the Swiss Army and other armies from the 20th century in several former factory halls.

A special feature is the complete factory collection of the former arms manufacturer Oerlikon-Bührle on the upper floor of the museum. This mainly comprises anti-aircraft and aircraft weapons. The museum also owns a German V1 flying bomb, a Reichenberg device, and engines and defence stands from English and American bombers that crashed or made emergency landings in Switzerland.