Choose an area:

Return of historic airplanes to glorious hangars No. V and VI AERO at Letnany

Department 58 – International Relations
Department 58 – International Relations

Published

Project
RegionPrague
Title of the ProgrammeCultural Heritage and Contemporary Art - programme area no. 16
Title of the ProjectReturn of historic airplanes to glorious hangars No. V and VI AERO at Letnany
Number of the Project---
Project Promoter

LOM PRAHA

www.lompraha.cz

Name of Local Partner(s)

Military History Institute in Prague

Objective of the Project

LOM PRAHA s.p. in cooperation with the Military History Institute in Prague (VHU) has been seeking to save the unique group of historical buildings of the former AERO company premises on the site of the Praha-Letňany airport, which are known as Stará Aerovka. Under the title “the group of buildings of the AERO Kbely premises” the site was declared an immovable cultural monument by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and has been part and parcel of the Heritage Fund of the Czech Republic. The completion of the process of declaring the buildings the immovable cultural monument on November 21, 2011 (Register No. in the Central List of Cultural Monuments: 104539) represents the first step in the effort to save the group buildings comprising four historical hangars and connecting parts. The submitted project focuses on hangars No. V and VI, which are in a state of disrepair, and their existence is endangered. This is why LOM PRAHA s.p. is seeking to save the two hangars. The implementation of the project in cooperation with the VHU would make it possible to save the immovable cultural monument and safely deposit and maintain the movable state cultural heritage managed by the VHU as part of the museum collections registered by the Ministry of Culture of the CR in the Central List of Cultural Monuments under No. HUA/002-05-09/171002. The project objective is to completely reconstruct the two most endangered hangars in accordance with the requirements for the heritage protection. The project will keep the historical metods and technology used in the original construction of the said buildings to the maximum extent possible. Thanks to its size the hangar No. V will house the collection of bombers and attack planes and fighter-bombers from World War II up to the 1980s following the reconstruction. The most valuable addition to the collection of the Military History Institute acquired in the past 20 years will be among the exhibited planes. It is the Soviet bomber Petlyakov Pe-2 from WWII. Only three of these planes have been preserved in world museums. The plane, which made an emergency landing during WWII, was acquired from the Norwegian museum, the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum in Bodo, the owner of parts of several planes of this type. The plane will be completely renovated in close cooperation with colleagues from the Norwegian museum right in front of visitors of the hangar No. V. In view of the fact that the hangar is a typical sample of WWII airport architecture and a number of unique WWII planes will be on display there the project also plans to put together an exposition on the European resistance during WWII. In connection with the hangar focusing on bomber air force particular attention will be devoted to the history of the Norwegian resistance. The hangar No. VI will be devoted to the history of the AERO aircraft production. Four unique prototype planes made by AERO will be the key exhibits. A unique museum site will come into being on the premises of Stará Aerovka following the reconstruction of the two hangars carried out in cooperation with the VHU and the historical planes manufactured by the AERO company will thus return to the place of their origin.

Approved grant

approximately 864 103 EUR

Project DurationStart date: 1st December 2014, End date: 30th April 2016