Historisch-Technisches Museum Peenemünde

Peenemünde, DE

Peenemünde on the Baltic island of Usedom was the site of the **Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemünde (HVP)** — the Wehrmacht's primary rocket research and development facility from 1937 to 1944. Under **Wernher von Braun** and General **Walter Dornberger**, the facility developed the **V-1 flying bomb** and the **V-2 ballistic missile** — the world's first long-range ballistic missile — first successfully tested here on **October 3, 1942**. The complex employed tens of thousands of workers, including thousands of **concentration camp prisoners** who worked under lethal conditions. On the night of **August 17–18, 1943**, the RAF launched **Operation Hydra**, bombing the facility with 596 aircraft and killing approximately 500 people, including 200 forced labourers. Production was subsequently dispersed to underground facilities including the **Mittelwerk** in the Harz Mountains. Today the Historisch-Technisches Museum occupies the former power plant and documents both the technical achievements and the human cost of the V-weapons programme. A preserved **V-2 rocket** and other artefacts from the test programme are on permanent display.