Swiss Military Museum

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

History of the museum[edit]

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[edit]

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.