New zeppelin offers views of Berlin and German history

The zeppelin airship, once a symbol of German power and grace in the skies, is once again taking passengers over Berlin.

For three weeks this month, a completely redesigned dirigible is offering tourists the chance to float above the German capital for the first time in 65 years. The last, pre-war zeppelin flights over the city were during the 1936 Olympics, which the Nazis used to showcase the Third Reich.

"It was something special," said Eugen Bentele, 93, a mechanic on the Hindenburg, which was just slightly smaller than the Titanic. "I remember that we flew very low over the Olympic Stadium. The whole leadership was there - Hitler, Hermann Goering and the others, and they welcomed us. You could see them from the airship."

The following year, Mr Bentele was one of the 63 survivors among the 97 people on board the Hindenburg when it burst into flames while docking in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

The Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei, a smaller 75 metre-long airship using helium instead of hydrogen, started taking tourists for hour-long rides over Lake Constance in southern Germany last summer for €335 (£217) a trip.

The original zeppelin, designed by Graf von Zeppelin, made its debut in July 1900.