The first building on Wasserkuppe was a small hut intended to shelter hunters and hikers from the harsh weather. It was constructed on June 2, 1879 by the Rhönklub, a nature-hiking association. Karl Song of Poppenhausen opened the first restaurant in 1884 and operated it during the summer months. Because there were no improved roads at that time, access to the restaurant was by narrow nature trails.

Otto Lilienthal is also known for two quotes about his work, "To invent an airplane is nothing. To build one is something. But to fly is everything." The second quote was prophetic: Speaking of the hazards of flying he said, "Sacrifices must be made." Otto crashed one of his gliders on August 9, 1896 and died the following day from his injuries. Otto's brother, Gustav, then in his eighties, was in attendance when Oscar Ursinus successfully launched the first glider from Wasserkuppe in 1909.

The foundation laid by Lilienthal and Ursinus was advanced by Darmstadt Technical Institute's tests at Wasserkuppe in July 22, 1912 when a new record for time aloft and distance was established by pilot Hans Gutermuth who flew the F.S.V. X. glider for one minute fifty-two seconds covering a distance of 840 meters. A replica of that plane, built by Otto Becker's team is now on display in the Glider Museum at Wasserkuppe.

Soon other technical schools began experimenting and other flying enthusiasts organized glider clubs. The early planes were often built with any light weight wood and fabric material at hand. Public interest spread as new teams worked to refine the previous designs. As a result, records for time and distance were short lived as soaring technology advanced.

The onset of World War I brought a suspension to the glider record race as national research and development became focused on Germany's war time priorities. After the war, the Treaty of Versailles placed prohibitions on building war planes in Germany. Perhaps by oversight, the treaty did not specifically prohibit the building of "motorless flying machines" and gliders soon returned to the skies above the Rhön mountains. Wasserkuppe was now recognized as being the ideal location, possessing excellent launching conditions as well as optimum air currents for soaring.

Organized by Oscar Ursinus, the first Wasserkuppe glider competition was held in 1920. Over the next decade, the contest grew in popularity. As many as 70 glider clubs sent their best planes and pilots to compete for duration, altitude and distance prizes, the most coveted prize was that donated by President von Hindenburg. As many as 60,000 spectators dotted the mountain slopes to watch these events.

On August 9, 1920, exactly 24 years after Otto Lilienthal's death, a glider piloted by Eugene von Loessl plunged from an altitude of 150 meters and crashed on the west slope of Wasserkuppe. Von Loessl, a resident of Darmstadt, was the first pilot to die on the mountain.

A very efficient launch system involved a powered winch mounted on the bed of a truck. This method took advantage of air speed as well as natural updrafts. The truck was parked on a ridge and a 1,500 ft. cable was strung across a valley and attached to a waiting glider. When the winch became engaged, reeling in the cable at increasing speed, the glider quickly became airborne. The pilot climbed at a steep angle and at the apex, the cable was automatically released and the plane set free.

According to a New York Times article dated Aug. 22, 1922, "A glider was shoved from a precipitous cliff at Mount Wasserkuppe. The airplane, called Vampire, was immediately wafted upward 100 meters at which altitude Hentzen, a student of Hanover Technical School, hovered and cruised for several minutes before he climbed another hundred meters." Hentzen remained aloft two hours ten seconds and landed at a designated spot ten kilometers from Wasserkuppe. Many records were broken that day. Nearly all of the participating gliders were the creations of technical high school students from various parts of Germany. Despite their youth, the majority were veteran aviators of WW I. The winner of the competition received a prize of 12,000 Marks, which according to the 1922 exchange rate, equaled US $9.00 .

The first American pilot to fly at Wasserkuppe was Edmund Allen, a wealthy New Yorker. . Sponsored by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he left a glider competition in Paris on August 22, 1922 for the Wasserkuppe contest to compete with the world's best glider pilots. However, his performance there was unremarkable.

In 1923 a memorial was erected at the Eugene von Loessl crash site. The bronze eagle and tablet mounted atop a pile of rubble stone on the western slopes of Wasserkuppe was the creation of Johannes Mossner, a Munich architect. The bronze figure, cast in Hamburg, honors von Loessl and other pioneers who lost their lives pursuing their dream of powerless flight. Such was the status of pilots of that time, the unveiling ceremony held on August 30, 1923 attracted over 30,000 spectators. Beginning in the early morning hours, the several passenger trains from Fulda to Gersfeld were filled beyond capacity. Among the attending dignitaries were: the brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, Frankfurt's mayor, the widow of Baron von Richthofen (the Red Baron), various government officials and several famous generals. The program included regimental music and speeches by dignitaries followed by the unveiling of the memorial. (The public interest and attendance is remarkable considering the first improved road for motor vehicles from Gersfeld to Wasserkuppe was not completed until the following year.) Government officials proclaimed that there should be an observance at the memorial site each August 30 in honor of all fallen pilots. Indeed, annual ceremonies were held until the start of WW II.

Four years after the first glider competition was organized, Oscar Ursinus built the first clubhouse. Until then, enthusiasts were using shipping containers as temporary accommodation. Wasserkuppe had become a soaring mecca and the annual contests were international events, attracting pilots from all over Europe and the Americas.

Predicting weather conditions became very important. The collecting of weather information began in 1922 and the official weather station was established in 1925. Now called the "Ursinus-Haus", the station is one of 500 such facilities across Germany providing reliable meteorological data.

The first glider school was established by Fritz Stamer in 1925. Although the national economy was racked by inflation and high unemployment, Stamer managed to eke out a living by giving flight lessons and test flying new gliders.

Virtually every European aeronautical engineer of the time tested and modified their aircraft there. Among them were Alexander Schleicher, Willy Messerschmitt, Peter Riedel and Alexander Lippisch. The 1920's saw significant achievements in design and technology, such as flying wings and even rocket-powered flights.

Fritz von Opel had performed a number of publicity stunts involving rocket-powered cars for his Opel motor car company. Along with Friedrich Sander, a pyrotechnics manufacturer and Max Valier, a rocketry advocate, Opel concocted a scheme to attach two rockets to an Alexander Lippisch designed tail-less glider. In the summer of 1928, the three men brought the glider, called "Ente" to Wasserkuppe and hired Fritz Stammer to test it.

Two black powder rockets were attached to the skids on the underside of the fuselage. They were to be electronically fired from a switch in the cockpit. In order to adjust the center of gravity as the powder burned, a counterweight system was positioned under the floor. The rockets were timed to be fired one after the other to provide continuous thrust. Each rocket was intended to burn for about thirty seconds. After one false start, the rocket fired and the aircraft roared across the grassy field and into the air. Stammer reached an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft.), circled the mountain and landed safely.

On the second flight, the team decided to fire both rockets simultaneously thereby doubling the thrust for a 30 seconds burn. At the instant of launch, one rocket fired, but the other one appeared to sputter and as the plane left the ground, it exploded. The blast tore holes in both wings and set them on fire. Amazingly, Stammer brought the burning aircraft back to ground from an altitude of about 65 feet and quickly abandoned it. The aircraft was a total loss, as was Fritz von Opel's dream of rocket-powered gliders. Stamer continued testing other glider prototypes and operated his flight school until 1933. Lippisch went on to become an accomplished aircraft designer.

After soaring with the storm for eight hours, he had traveled 240 miles and finally landed on a riverbed, coming to rest a few meters short of an electric line near Kaaden, Czechoslovakia. Groenhoff wrote that he was gratified that he was able to bring home "the rich material for meteorological research."

Back at Wasserkuppe on July 23, 1932, Groenhoff once again soared into the strong, turbulent winds of a thunderstorm. However, his good fortune had run out. The rudder of his beloved Fafnir snapped and he crashed on the west slope, dying instantly. He was 23 years old.

As Germany made further preparations for an inevitable war, Wasserkuppe became an official training camp for the Nazi Youth Flight Corps. Exploiting a loop hole in the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler did everything possible to encourage glider flying. Funding for the program was subsidized through the efforts of brown-shirted storm troopers who "urged" German citizens to donate to "sport flying". It would be an easy matter to transform the skilled, young glider aviators into fighter and bomber pilots. Many of the technical school pilots had built their own planes. They represented a body of trained men who would be able to take leadership roles in airplane factories in time of conflict.

The "Ehrenhalle" (Hall of Honor) was designed with a large stained glass window and built directly the across the compound from the headquarters building. Large bronze doors open to the interior of the hallowed hall. A marble sculpture of a pilot dressed in a flight suit is lying atop a sarcophagus. Although no one is actually buried there, the figure is the likeness of aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal and intended to represent all pilots who lost their lives in glider and powered flight. This building was christened "Lilienthal-Haus" on July 23, 1939.

By this time, the Wasserkuppe Nazi Youth Flight Corps was operating at full capacity. Luftwaffe personnel on site numbered over 40 instructors and support personnel. During a 1943 allied air assault, Wasserkuppe suffered the loss of twenty men killed and numerous casualties. All Nazi aircraft, glider hangers and the flight operations center were destroyed.

Following the war, the Groenhoff Haus complex was occupied by US Forces. A long range radar station and surveillance facilities were established on the summit of Wasserkuppe. During the Berlin Airlift of 1948 -1949, the radar station supported "Gunpost", the air traffic control site responsible for the southern air corridor from Frankfurt to Berlin. This Wasserkuppe tech site provided navigation aid for the transport aircraft. On June 10, 1949 the radar station became attached to the 601st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, headquartered at Rothwesten, near Kassel.

A new glider school was opened in 1953. The annual international glider competition resumed in the mid 1950's. Once again, tourists began to visit the mountain to enjoy the clean fresh air, spectacular vistas and the graceful flights of the gliders. New tourist facilities appeared on the mountain and tour buses became a common sight, especially on summer weekends. In 1959 a new record was set when Günter Heinzel, Director of the Wasserkuppe Gliding School and former Luftwaffe test pilot, flew a glider from there to Paris in eight and a half hours.

Located near the former front gate of the Groenhoff-Haus complex, a glider museum opened in 1970. Astronaut Neil Armstrong was an honored guest at the dedication. The museum moved into the present building in 1987. The mountain also became home to the Old-timer Gliding Club, an association of glider fans dedicated to the preservation of vintage aircraft.