''L'Intrépide'' ("The Intrepid") is a
hydrogen balloon
Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all normal matter. Under standard conditions, hydrogen is a gas of diatomi ...
of the ''
Compagnie d'Aérostiers'' (French Aerostatic Corps) and is the oldest preserved manned aircraft in Europe.
[Information plaque displayed in the '' Heeresgeschichtliches Museum'': "Da es sich hierbei um das älteste noch bekannte Luftfahrzeug Europas handelte, mußte nicht zuletzt aus Rücksicht auf konservatorische Bedingungen die originale Ballonhülle entsprechend gesondert untergebracht werden."]
''L'Intrépide'' was the larger
of two
observation balloon
An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World ...
s, the other being ''
Hercule'' ("Hercules"), issued to the Aerostatic Corps in June 1795, twelve years after the pioneering hydrogen balloon flights of Professor
Jacques Charles
Jacques Alexandre César Charles (12 November 1746 – 7 April 1823) was a French people, French inventor, scientist, mathematician, and balloonist.
Charles wrote almost nothing about mathematics, and most of what has been credited to him was due ...
and the
Robert brothers
Les Frères Robert were two French brothers. Anne-Jean Robert (1758–1820) and Nicolas-Louis Robert (1760–1828) were the engineers who built the world's first hydrogen balloon for professor Jacques Charles, which flew from central Paris on ...
in Paris. These balloons were used by the Corps's first company attached to General
Jourdan's Army of Sambre-et-Meuse
The Army of Sambre and Meuse () was a field army of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 29 June 1794 by combining the Army of the Ardennes, the left wing of the Army of the Moselle and the right wing of the Army of the North. I ...
in 1796. When that army was defeated by Austrian forces at the
Battle of Würzburg
The Battle of Würzburg was fought on 3 September 1796 between an army of the Habsburg monarchy led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and an army of the First French Republic led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The French attacked the archduke ...
on 3 September 1796, the balloon was captured and taken to
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, where it is now on display at the ''Heeresgeschichtliches Museum''.
The balloon's silk envelope is roughly spherical and has a diameter of . Its wooden gondola is very small, measuring by and its railing has a height of .
The balloon envelope is a replica, with the original displayed folded in a glass case nearby.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intrepide
Individual balloons (aircraft)
French military reconnaissance aircraft