Tempelhof
For some reason Berlin seems to struggle with its airports these days. It took years of deliberation and a public referendum to finally decide that Tegel should be closed, a debate prolonged by the monumental delay in finishing its replacement.
Originally scheduled to open in 2012, our new state of the art airport failed a staggering array of safety inspections, leading to an embarrassing debacle of appalling project management that rolled on for the better part of a decade before Berlin Brandenburg 'Willy Brandt' finally opened in October 2020.
17km away, an abandoned airport stands testament that such fiascos weren't always the case. Admittedly, Tempelhof was never completed, at least not to the original plans of Hermann Göring and his chief architect Ernst Sagebiel, but what they achieved gives an insight into their ambition.
During the 1930s, the Nazi government began a massive expansion of the site which had already been a functioning airport since 1923. Envisaging Berlin as the capital of the world, they needed an airport of imposing size and architecture to convey the necessary impression to visitors. That much at least was realised - the statistics are still impressive today.
For total surface area covered, Tempelhof ranks as one of Europe's largest buildings. The terminal building alone is 300,000m2. A ceiling 15m high makes you feel suitably small on entering the arrivals area. From there the aircraft hangers fan out, forming a 1.2km curve over which a massive roof was designed to double as a viewing terrace. Not just to watch planes taking off - plans were far greater than that in Nazi Germany. The airport was also used as a giant stadium for airshows and military parades.
Initially, progress was rapid but construction slowed during the war and eventually halted altogether, despite the use of forced labour drawn from occupied countries. The new airport never opened under the Nazis.
It was taken by the Soviets at the end of the war but handed over to US forces as agreed at the Yalta Conference. The new occupiers had slightly different tastes and requirements to their predecessors so they set about their modifications.
If you're a demented dictator and you're building an airport, you of course make sure to include a grand ballroom. If you're an American military division subsequently stationed there, you of course convert it into a basketball court. Installing a bowling alley simply isn't enough.
When it was finally ready to be used as a commercial airport, some sections were given back to Germany but being a military base, secrets had to be guarded. Therefore the first dividing wall in Berlin was built - not by the communists but by the Americans.
They also removed and decapitated the giant eagle statue that stood on the roof, to make room for radar equipment. The head was sent to the US Military Academy who were so pleased with the gift they gave it pride of place in the basement before sending it back to Berlin. It now presides outside the terminal building in Platz der Luftbrücke.
Platz der Luftbrücke is named to commemorate the Berlin Airlift which turned an already iconic airport into a symbol of freedom. When the Soviets blocked all other access into West Berlin in 1948, three air corridors controlled by the Western Allies were the only means of reaching and supplying the city.
The success of the airlift is well known. At its height, a plane was landing at Tempelhof every minute, delivering an average of 5000 tons of cargo per day. The landing schedule was so tight, there was no second chance for any pilot who missed their slot. They had to return home unloaded.
Four years after reunification, American forces left Berlin. Tempelhof came under the control of the Berlin Airport Authority but commercial use wasn't significant. Plans were soon made to relocate all domestic and international air traffic to a single airport, namely Schönefeld. Even Tegel's days looked numbered.
Because of the Airlift, many Berliners still felt an emotional connection to Tempelhof so when its closure was announced, a referendum was called for. The vote to keep it open was won but nostalgia failed to generate enough interest, particularly in the eastern districts. Turnout was too low for the referendum to be binding and the airport finally closed in 2008.
What do you do with a disused airport? Hundreds of tenants lease many of the buildings, notably the Berlin Polizei. There's also a dancing school, a kindergarten and a theatre to name a few of the business. Concerts and festivals are held there - it's capable of accommodating 50,000 people. Exhibition space is rented at a premium so you know you've made it if you're considering hiring Tempelhof as a venue. I'm going to exhibit a photography gallery there one day. It's good to have ambitious goals.
That still leaves more than 300 hectares of open air space, an area larger than Monaco. This was gifted to the city and is now Tempelhofer Feld, a vast inner city park where Berliners can jog, cycle, roller skate, segway or kitesurf around the enormous runways. If that sounds a bit too energetic for you, there are also designated areas for barbecues, mini golf, walking the dog and even gardening.
Developers are aware of the potential and relative low cost of such a large, publicly owned, city center location and politicians are keen to help them exploit it. Another referendum led to the Tempelhof Conservation Act - this time enough residents voted to keep the Feld as it is. However Berlin, like most major European cities, is starting to suffer a housing shortage. The future of the park will always be debated but for now it's an outdoor haven, cherished by Berliners.
