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K
E
D
U
KO BLO
59
1890-19
STAN
THE FLYING MAN
In Planica, 1947. National Museum of Contemporary History.
Stanko Bloudek was born on 11 February
1890 to a Czech father and a Slovenian moth-
er in Idrija, but the family later moved to Most
(Bruex) in the Czech Republic. After his father's
death the family returned to Idrija. Bloudek
subsequently studied painting and mechanical
engineering in Prague. Between 1911 and 1918
he worked as professional aircraft designer in
Trutnov, Leipzig, Munich, Vienna, Wiener Neus-
tadt, and Budapest. After the First World War he
made Ljubljana his permanent home. He died
on 26 November 1959. He is buried at Žale Cem-
etery in Ljubljana.
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An inventor, airplane pioneer,
designer of sports facilities, the
first man to build a ski flying
hill, and an all-around athlete.
The highest national award for
sports achievement in Slovenia
is named after him. Many ex-
perts consider him to be central
to the present-day stature of
Planica as the home of ski fly-
ing and countless world records
in this sport. To this day, ski fly-
ing hills around the world are
essentially enlarged versions of
his hill.