Letecké muzeum Kbely

About the museum

The idea of setting up a specialised aviation museum emerged in the mid-1960s, when experts tried to save veteran aircraft across the country. Under the leadership of Major Jaroslav Janečka, an aviation group was formed at the Military Museum of the Military History Institute (VHÚ), and part of Hangar No. 40 at the Kbely airfield, the first airfield built after the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918, was allocated for the collections. The first improvised exhibition opened in September 1967; the large exhibition with 62 aircraft opened on 11 October 1968.

From 1969 it operated as a permanent seasonal exhibition. At the end of the 1980s the museum expanded into other historic hangars, for example a First World War hangar and a hangar from the First Republic, and outdoor exhibition areas were created. Today the exhibition comprises six hangars with permanent displays, a hall for occasional exhibitions and extensive outdoor spaces. The museum also includes the hangars of Stará Aerovka in Letňany, about 900 metres from the main site.

The collections contain 275 aircraft, of which more than one hundred and twenty are on display, as well as aero engines, weapons, equipment, uniforms and banners. The exhibition traces the history of Czechoslovak and Czech aviation, especially military aviation, supplemented by selected types of world significance. The museum is run by the Military History Institute Prague.

Highlights

• More than one hundred and twenty aircraft on display in the hangars and on the outdoor areas
• French SPAD VII fighter and the first Czechoslovak-built military aircraft, the Letov Š-2
• Avia B-534 fighter, the standard Czechoslovak fighter before the Second World War
• German jet Messerschmitt Me 262B and the Fritz X guided bomb
• Branch exhibition in the Stará Aerovka hangars in Letňany

Permanent exhibitions

• Československé letectvo 1918–1924 (hangár Jaroslava Janečky) – In the historic hangar, which was moved to Kbely from Cheb as early as 1919, stand aircraft from the 1920s, including the French SPAD VII fighter and the first Czechoslovak-built military aircraft, the Letov Š-2.
• Československé letectvo 1925–1938 (hangár Jana Sýkory) – The exhibition follows the beginnings of Czechoslovak aviation and shows, for example, the Avia B-534 fighter, the Aero A-10 transport aircraft and the racing Aero A-18C.
• Letectví 2. světové války (hangár Karla Janouška) – Aircraft and objects connected with Czechoslovak airmen, for example the Soviet Il-2m3 and La-7, the British Tiger Moth, the German jet Messerschmitt Me 262B and the Fritz X guided bomb.

Founded

1968

Operated by

Vojenský historický ústav Praha

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum is free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the exhibitions are partly step-free. Only guide dogs and assistance dogs may enter the indoor exhibitions; animals are permitted in the outdoor areas, but they must not run loose.

Kids & families

Admission is free for everyone. Children under 15 may enter the exhibitions only when accompanied by an adult. Pushchairs are allowed in the museum.

Getting there & parking

The museum recommends public transport, preferably metro line C to Letňany station and then the bus. The stop is about 30 steps from the museum gate.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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