Visit the Hydraviation Museum
Biscarrosse in the Landes region of France is home to Europe’s only hydra museum! It would be a shame to miss out. In the former seaplane base, the association has collected incredible archives on every seaplane in the world.
- A history closely linked to Lac de Biscarrosse
- Rare documents and photos
- A tour for all ages
In 1930, Pierre-Georges Latécoère chose Lac de Biscarrosse to build, assemble and test France’s largest seaplanes. In those days, “sky liners” even made the crossing to New York or the West Indies. The greatest aviators have contributed to their legend: Mermoz or Saint-Exupéry. The museum takes you back to the golden age of hydroplanes, with their funny machines, their history and their anecdotes. How did these forerunners, on the shores of Lac de Biscarrosse, manage to develop these flying liners? Although transatlantic seaplanes have now disappeared, they are still used for fire-fighting, sea rescue and coastal surveillance.
A priceless archive collection at the Biscarrosse museum
At the Musée de l’Hydraviation, you’ll see the only vintage machines that have not disappeared and have been restored to their original condition. The association that runs the museum has also collected a wealth of archival documents over the decades, in Biscarrosse, where the workers who built the flying machines and carried out the tests on the lake lived. But the archives go far beyond the Aquitaine region. The only museum of its kind in Europe, it also houses the entire history of the world’s hydra-jet industry. Photos, flight logs, plans, models, souvenirs linked to famous aviators…
An educational trail for all ages at the Musée de l’Hydraviation
The Museum has prepared a visit for children. Depending on their age, a specially adapted educational booklet will tell them about the history of seaplanes over the last century, and introduce them to real seaplanes and models.