Metoděj Vlach Aviation Museum

The Aviation Museum in Mladá Boleslav was not created only thanks to Metoděj Vlach; Otto Hiornymus, an Austrian pilot and employee of the Mladá Boleslav automobile company Laurin and Klement, which even introduced mass production of aircraft engines after the First World War, also flew here. All these events led to the founding of the museum in 2001, where you can admire aircraft from the first half of the 20th century, their faithful replicas and originals built according to period plans.

Where else should an aviation museum be created than right at the airport! Although it is not an airport of international dimensions, you can look forward to a truly absorbing exhibition in the Mladá Boleslav hangars, which includes, for example, the Polikarpov Po-2 (U2) Kukuruznik aircraft, also nicknamed the Night Witches’ Aircraft. It is one of only two preserved exhibits of this type in the world and is still fully functional today! Of course, you will not be deprived of the first Czech aircraft by Metoděj Vlach, even though it is only a replica of it. You would hardly distinguish the machine in a 1:1 scale from the original. The wooden structure covered with canvas and powered by a Škoda Favorit engine reaches a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

• Did you know that most of the exhibits in the aviation museum are airworthy? In good weather, you will see them flying not only when visiting the museum, but also at various aviation days and events in the Czech Republic and Germany.

In addition to admiring the planes, try out a special flight simulator or treat yourself to a cup of coffee at the local HANGÁR CAFÉ. Architecture lovers will also be interested in the  museum building itself. It was designed by architect Michal Hlaváček, who was inspired by the shape of the “invisible/stealth” F-117 Nighthawk aircraft when the project was born.

What’s next?

Just around the corner is the Škoda Muzeum; the world-famous car manufacturer needs no introduction. You don’t have to travel far to the Muzeum Mladoboleslavska (Museum of the Mladá Boleslav Region), which coincidentally also includes the Metoděj Vlach Aviation Museum. Other branches are the rectory in Dolní Krupá, Museum of the Benátky Region, Museum Podbezdězí and Mladá Boleslav Castle. But if you’d rather clear your head somewhere in nature, you’re just a short drive from the Mácha region. On the way, stop in Lobeč, where there is a steam-engine brewery and the “nonstop” Eduard Štorch Museum.