Flugplatz Köthen – 1923 to 1937
The aviation history of Köthen, located in Saxony-Anhalt, trace its roots back to 1923 with the formation of the aeronautical working group “FLUWIAC” (Flugwissenschaftliche Arbeitsgruppe Cöthen). Deeply intertwined with the local university, this group laid the foundation for decades of flight innovation. Recognizing the growing importance of aviation, the city council officially resolved in 1928 to construct a proper airfield just south of the town.
By 1937, as Nazi Germany accelerated its preparations for the Second World War, the site was fully militarized. The Luftwaffe’s air communication, instructional, and experimental regiment (“Luftnachrichten-, Lehr- und Versuchsregiment”) moved onto the property, transforming Köthen into a bustling garrison town. The base was not merely used for training radio operators and flight personnel; it served as a high-tech hub where the German aviation industry intensely developed, tested, and refined advanced radio, direction-finding, and radar equipment.
Like many early airfields of the era, the initial infrastructure grew rapidly around the newly built Luftwaffe barracks, giving the site a distinct military layout that would define its usage for the next half-century.
Flugplatz Köthen – 1937 to 1945
In preparation for World War II, the airfield was turned over entirely to military use when the advance units of the “Luftnachrichten-, Lehr- und Versuchsregiment” moved into the newly built barracks in October 1937. This construction transformed Köthen into a garrison town, focused heavily on testing and developing radio, direction-finding, and radar technology.
During the war, Kampfgruppe 100 was stationed here from November 18 to December 15, 1939. Equipped with Heinkel He 111 bombers, the unit flew reconnaissance missions from here over the North Sea to the Orkney Islands and along the Norwegian coast, testing the new tactical radio navigation system known as the X-Verfahren (X-Gerät), a tactical radio navigation system designed to guide aircraft to targets through heavy cloud cover or complete darkness.
Actual combat operations are said to have not originated from the airfield, aside from occasional scrambles by Messerschmitt Bf 109s for air defense. In the summer of 1944, an American B-17 Flying Fortress crashed into a field near the village of Gnetsch, just southeast of the runway. On April 14, 1945, the military airfield was targeted by American fighter-bombers and subsequently captured by advancing units of the 3rd Armored Division.
Flugplatz Köthen – 1945 to 1991
Following the withdrawal of American troops, Soviet forces occupied the airfield in July 1945. Starting in 1951, the 73rd Soviet Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (73 Gw.IAP) was permanently stationed here. The airfield saw a steady rotation of different MiG fighter squadrons over the decades, beginning with the MiG-15 and MiG-17, moving to the MiG-21 and MiG-23, and finally deploying the advanced MiG-29 during the base’s final years.
From 1983 onward, Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters and Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters were also stationed at Köthen, though they were reassigned in 1988. During this period, parachute jump exercises were a regular sight. Other units made short-term appearances, such as the Yakovlev Yak-28 bombers during the “Oktobersturm” maneuvers in 1965. Parts of the East German NVA’s helicopter and fighter squadrons also shared the space between 1961 and 1965.
During the Cold War, the airfield was used to monitor the western border of the Warsaw Pact states, with regular patrol flights between the Baltic Sea and Hungary on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Military flight operations eventually ended in May 1991. The withdrawal of Soviet forces was supported by giant Antonov An-124 transport planes and fully completed by August 1991.
The Air France Incident
On April 29, 1952, an Air France C-54A commercial airliner (F-BELI) en route from Frankfurt to Berlin-Tempelhof strayed from its official flight corridor. Two Soviet MiG-15 fighters intercepted the passenger plane near Könnern and opened fire. The DC-4 managed to make an emergency landing at Tempelhof despite sustaining 89 bullet holes, leaving two passengers lightly injured.
While commercial air traffic to Berlin was briefly grounded in the aftermath, rumors pointed directly to the 73rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment stationed at Köthen as the perpetrators. Due to intense political sensitivities during the Cold War, these reports were never officially confirmed by Soviet or East German authorities.
Flugplatz Köthen – 1991 to 2008
Following the Soviet withdrawal, a portion of the airfield was taken over by a local aviation club, the Flugsportverein Köthen e.V. The original main runway was completely demolished due to its desolate condition, leaving a much smaller strip for recreational use.
The former barracks buildings experienced mixed fates. While some were left completely vacant, others were successfully renovated and repurposed. Today, they serve as administrative buildings for the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district authority, the Köthen tax office, and private residential housing.
As a nod to Köthen’s aviation history, Lufthansa began naming commercial aircraft after the city. From March 1992 until its retirement in May 2012, a Boeing 737-300 with the registration D-ABES carried the name “Köthen/Anhalt”. This tradition continued on July 12, 2020, when an Airbus A320-200 (D-AIUA) was christened with the town’s name.
Flugplatz Köthen – 2008 to 2024
In late 2008, the green energy company juwi constructed a massive solar power plant on 55 hectares of the airfield and former taxiways. The solar field has an installed rated output of 15 Megawatts and features around 145,000 m² of module surface area. It generates over 13 million kWh of electricity per year, matching the annual needs of roughly 4,000 households.
In 2015, some vandals set fire to the tower building, heavily damaging it, and gutting it in the process.
Civil aviation continued on a small scale. The club hosted its traditional annual airfield festival (Flugplatzfest) every September up until 2024, alongside regular model flight days and the annual “Nikolausflug,” which brought tens of thousands of visitors to the site over the years.
Flugplatz Köthen – Today (2026)
In June 2025, the agricultural company Wimex terminated the land-use contract with the Flugsportverein Köthen e.V., effective September 30, 2025. The club, which has around 25 members, is currently looking for alternative sites or facing potential dissolution, though the city administration claims to be in talks to find a solution.
Visiting Flugplatz Köthen today is very mixed experience. If you visit the site today, you will find the district administration office operating out of a fully renovated barracks building right on the edge of the property. Right next to it, however, is a large collection of ruins belonging to the former airbase. The remaining military barracks are officially listed under monument protection, but they have already been gutted and are actively decaying.
Two of the large aircraft hangars have been converted and are being actively used by a bio gas company, while the majority of the runway has been swallowed by solar panels. The other remaining hangar – while still spotting some of its soviet era camouflage – has been locked up very securely, preventing any unauthorised access.
As previously mentioned – the tower building has been gutted by a fire. Back in 2024, a teenager fell from the tower building, seriously injuring himself. If im not mistaken, it was at this point that the city decided to secure the building off with a fence. Theres a small hidden underground bunker close by, but it consists of just one empty room with virtually nothing interesting to see. Unlike some of the other abandoned military airfields you find in Brandenburg, there really isn’t much left to see here.
Flugplatz Köthen
Address: Edderitzer Str., 06366 Köthen (Anhalt)
Geo Coordinates: 51.72593696508117, 11.953367770064183
