On 6th September 2025, Benediktinský Aeroklub Broumov (the Benedictine Aeroclub Broumov) organised another edition of its annual open day. Despite the rainy weather, the event attracted many curious visitors from nearby communities, as well as aviation enthusiasts from further afield.
Broumov is a small town located in the north of the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic, just a few kilometres from the Polish border. The town and its surroundings are an increasingly popular tourist destination, known for the former Benedictine Monastery of Saint Wenceslaus (now a museum and cultural centre), the country’s oldest wooden church and its scenic countryside. In addition, Broumov is home to a small but thriving flying club with a long tradition.
The first aviation association in the town was established before the Second World War, followed by the construction of a small airfield with a hangar. Although those early aviation activities in Broumov were disrupted by the war, the local aeroclub was re-established as early as 1945.
Two years later, the Broumov Aeroclub moved to a new airfield. It was built on the outskirts of the town, near the village of Martínkovice, and is still in use today.
There is one interesting fact about the location of the airfield that is worth mentioning. During the First World War, the area was converted into a vast prisoner-of-war camp comprising around three hundred buildings with capability to hold up to thirty thousand prisoners. Most of the POWs came from Russia and Serbia, and around 2,500 of them died in the Broumov camp. Today, a small military cemetery situated between the runway and the church in Martínkovice is the only silent witness to that long-gone history.
As in previous years, the open day held at the Broumov Aeroclub in 2025 was aimed to promote the club and its activities to the local community. Visitors to the airfield could get familiar with different types of gliders and light aircraft on display, take a short introductory winch-launch glider flight, and enjoy sightseeing flights over the picturesque Sudeten Mountains.
The static display included several Czech-designed ultralight aeroplanes, such as the Atec Zephyr 2000, Fantasy Air Allegro SW and Orličan M7 Ornis. The exhibition also featured the Polish-built 3Xtrim EOL-2 Racek, and the home-built S-7 Pirát, based on the Rans S-7 design.
The glider exhibition was also the one to attract a lot of interest by showcasing two iconic Czechoslovak aircraft from the 1960s, produced by the Orličan aviation plant in Choceň: the VT-16 Orlík and the VT-116 Orlík II ZK. More modern sailplanes were represented by the Schleicher ASW 15B, Rolladen-Schneider LS-1D, and two Schempp-Hirth models: the Janus A and the Nimbus 2B.
A highlight of the event was the presence of the Zlín Trenér family representative, the Z-226 MS OK-MFO, which proved especially popular with visitors. Later in the day, it was joined by another, more modern Zlín aircraft, the Z-42MU OK-ESO.
Nevertheless, the main highlight of the day was the chance to experience flying in the renowned German glider, the Bergfalke IV. Developed and produced by the well-known aircraft designer Egon Scheibe, it was the final model in the Bergfalke (“mountain hawk”) family of gliders created in the 1950s. As in previous years, both Bergfalke gliders were in high demand and were tirelessly winch-launched throughout the day.
Although Saturday morning began with rain and heavy clouds, the weather gradually improved as the day went on. This eventually made it possible to carry out the aforementioned sightseeing flights, performed in a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C.
Despite the rainy weather, this year’s open day at the Broumov airfield attracted many curious visitors, not only from the nearest neighbourhood but also from further afield. Numerous guests arrived with their children, who were especially excited to see the aircraft up close, peek inside the cockpit and even take a short flight in the Bergfalke glider.
More images from Broumov Open Day 2025:
