A model of a Montgolfier hot-air balloon was installed at the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium.

      02 December 2025 10:15 Society

      A unique exhibit has appeared in the G. Grechko Planetarium exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod — an accurate model of the first balloon in history, created by the Montgolfier brothers (0+). This was reported by the city Department of Culture.

      The 1:20 scale model was made by Nizhny Novgorod craftsmen and has no analogues among Russian planetariums. Its construction was based on an old 18th-century French engraving published in a scientific journal of the time. The illustration contained technical characteristics of the balloon, including its weight and dimensions, as well as eyewitness accounts of the launch, which made it possible to achieve a high degree of historical accuracy.

      According to planetarium director Galina Muromtseva, the appearance of this model is of special significance for the institution.

      "The appearance of such an exhibit is particularly important for us. The Montgolfier brothers' balloon embodies the boldness of human thought, the boundless striving for dreams, and the triumph over gravity. Now visitors, viewing our exhibition, will be able to see the whole path of humanity to the stars: from the first attempts to rise into the air to the conquest of space!" she emphasized.

      The balloon model has already taken its place in the second hall of the permanent exhibition. It is open to visitors as part of overview tours and is also available for independent study.

      It was previously reported that the monument to Georgy Grechko was returned to the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium.

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