Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus (Cottbus Airfield Museum) Cottbus, Germany February 2026

In December 1925, the Cottbus city council decided to establish a public airfield on the former "Great Parade Ground." From 1933, barracks and hangars for the German Air Transport School (DVS) were built, and pilot training for the secretly rearming Luftwaffe began in 1934. Various reconnaissance and fighter units were based there, and from 1939–1941 the 82nd Air Training Regiment operated at the airfield. The facilities were also used for maintenance of Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers. From 1941, aircraft production was moved to Cottbus by Focke-Wulf. Final assembly of the Fw 200C initially took place in the airfield hangars, later followed by the Fw 190A and Ta 152H fighters in 1944. Much of the workforce consisted of forced labourers. In early 1945 the production facilities were dismantled and relocated to Bremen. The airfield suffered only minor damage from USAAF bombing raids in 1944, though nearby areas were heavily bombed in February 1945. During the final months of the war both German and Soviet air units operated from the airfield. After the war the Soviet 16th Air Army used the base until 1952. In the same year the East German People's Police Air Force established training units there using Yak-18 and Yak-11 aircraft. These later formed Fighter Wing 1 (JG-1), which operated MiG-21 fighters until relocating to Holzdorf in 1982. A combat helicopter wing remained until German reunification in 1990, after which the Bundeswehr took control of the facilities. Military use gradually declined, and by 2003 the remaining helicopter units had relocated. With no viable civilian aviation role, the airfield was officially closed and redeveloped as a technology and industrial park. Today about 40,000 m² of the former airfield is occupied by the Cottbus Airfield Museum. Established in 1990 and opened to the public in 1994, it is operated by the Cottbus Airfield Museum Association.

Left to right: Mil Mi-9A (93+98, 482) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mil Mi-4A (785) NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mil Mi-8TB (93+68, 132) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mil Mi-2 (511019039 'Yellow 32' marked Yellow 02') ex Soviet Air Force.

Left to right: Mil Mi-2 (380) NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Sukhoi Su-22UM-3K (98+11, 137 '7') ex West German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Sukhoi Su-22M-4K (25+04, 365) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: PZL Lim-5 (502) NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Piaggio P.149D (92+13) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (94+69, EB+399) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak (DD+339, marked 'DD-313') ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Canadair Sabre Mk.6 (JA+111) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Fiat G-91R/3 (32+15) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Canadair Sabre Mk.5 (BB+237) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Lockheed F-104G Starfighter (21+56) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Lockheed F-104G Starfighter (25+12) ex West German Air Force.

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F-13 (1015) ex Czech Air Force. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (226 '22') ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Antonov An-2T (826/17908) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Tupolev Tu-134A (CCCP-65745).

Left to right: Aero L-60S Brigadyr (OE-BVL), built in 1956, it previously was at the Internationals Luftfahrtmuseum Manfred Pflum at Schwenningen, arriving here in 2020.

Left to right: Let L-200A Morova (320 registered D-GWLB) ex Czech Air Force. PZL-Okecie PZL-104 Wilga (D-EWBO).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23BN (20+44, 696) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army). Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23UB (20+62, 104) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MF (20+04, 584) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: PZL Lim-5 (537) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21bis (24+21, 848) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21US (23+99, 215) ex German Air Force, NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21SPS-K (981) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PFM (821) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF (653) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army). Aero L-29 Delfin (370) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Antonov An-2T (801 registered D-FKMG) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: Antonov An-14A (996) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army).

Left to right: PZL-Okecie PZL-106A Kruk (DDR-TCA).

Left to right: Let Z-37A Cmelak (D-ESLQ previously DM-SLQ and DDR-SLQ), former Interflug Agrarflug.

Left to right: Bell Iroquois UH-1D (72+77) ex Heer, SAR markings. Sud Aviation Alouette II (76+22) ex Heer.

Left to right: Yakovlev Yak-11 (98) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army). with Lommatzsch FES-530/II Lehrmeister II (DM-3267). Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-3 (670071) ex Luftwaffe.

Restoration Area: Mil Mi-4A (538) ex NVA (Nationale Volksarmee or National People's Army). PZL Lim-5P (437) ex NVA (silver rear fuselage and front fuselage). Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PM (391) ex NVA (camo rear fuselage).