Born in 1892 in the village of Piszewo, then in East Prussia, now part of the Warmia region in northeastern Poland, Schulz became a World War I pilot and subsequently a pioneering glider constructor.
Although he achieved international acclaim in the 1920s for his record-breaking glider flights, his story has largely faded from public memory.
That may soon change, as both his home village and members of an aviation seniors’ club in the town of Pruszcz Gdański plan to install a memorial plaque on a large stone near his birthplace.
Schulz is credited with building some of the earliest successful gliders in the years following World War I.
He constructed his first model, known as FS 1, using whatever materials were available, including wooden slats, parchment paper, tin from food cans and florist wire.
His best-known glider, the FS 2, featured piano strings and broom handles. With such designs, Schulz broke several world records in glider aviation, including a long-distance flight of 8 hours and 42 minutes.
During World War I, Schulz served as a second lieutenant in the Prussian air force. According to aviation historians, he survived 98 combat missions, often returning safely from near-fatal incidents.
He died in 1929 during an aviation demonstration in what is now the Polish town of Sztum, when he crashed while practicing a symbolic drop of a commemorative wreath from a height of 50 meters.
He is buried in Lidzbark Warmiński.
Photo: Romek, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Although some plaques commemorating Schulz already exist in towns where he lived and worked, including Malbork, supporters say he deserves recognition in his native village.
"We decided, as a club of senior aviators, that such a remarkable figure should also be honored in the place he was born," said Krzysztof Kurkiewicz, head of the aviation seniors’ club in Pruszcz Gdański.
He declared that his group will cover the cost of the plaque.
Local leaders in Piszewo have welcomed the idea, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
"A few years ago, we had the same thought, but we couldn’t bring it to life," said village administrator Teresa Jarkiewicz. She confirmed there is broad support among residents, many of whom still live near the house where Schulz was born.
Today, the ground floor of that building serves as a community center and shop, with a private apartment above.
"There’s no big complication here," said Kurkiewicz. "He was such an extraordinary man, it’s worth reminding people who he was."
In recent years, Schulz's story has begun to reemerge.
In 2024, the Malbork City Museum in northern Poland and the East Prussian State Museum in Germany co-hosted an exhibition titled Ferdinand Schulz: The Prussian Icarus, marking the 95th anniversary of his death.
Several of his handmade gliders, including those constructed from broomsticks, were also displayed at a temporary exhibit at the historic castle in Lidzbark Warmiński.
(rt/gs)
Source: dzieje.pl