Tempelhof Field has a very vibrant history. It was used since 19th century for military practices, to test aviation machines, as a parade ground of the Berlin garrison and also as a recreational area. An amusement park Tivioli and a horse racing track were situated on the field’s grounds. The oldest surviving football club The B.F.C. Germania 1888 used it for its training purposes. In 1923 the first airport on the Tempelhof Field was opened. 1936 marked the start of the construction for the new airport, in its current form, designed by Ernst Sagebiel, which came to a hold in 1939 due to the Second World War. The Nazis built a Gestapo prison on the northern edges of the Tempelhof Field in 1933 and a year later in 1934 it became a concentration camp „Columbia House“, which lasted as such until 1936. It was the only official concentration camp of SS in Berlin. Since 1940 until 1944 the „Weser“ Flugzeuggesellschaft GmbH had its offices and production in Tempelhof Field buildings. Thousand of forced labourers from occupied European countries where „employed“ there. After the war Tempelhof Airport was shortly under Russian command and from 1945 until 1993 it was taken over by the American Allied Forces. The reconstruction and expansion works for the former Tempelhof Airport were undertaken from 1959 to 1962 and further more from 1971 to 1974. In 2008 Tempelhof Airport was finally closed. Its former air field was turned into a recreational area and officially opened to public in 2010.
This photo series explores as photo walk the history of the Tempelhofer Feld and the Flughafen Tempelhof located in Berlin.
Photographed 2023-2024.
Text and description sources: www.thf-berlin.de, www.tempelhoferfeld.de, Wikipedia, History Trails, www.tempelhofer-unfreiheit.de.
At the one of the many entrances to the park: East side on the Oderstraße / Herrfurthstraße.
Old airfield sign.
Former airport weather station, balloon hall.
Former airport weather station, balloon hall.
Sheeps on the Tempelhofer Feld.
Soft ball field.
Soft ball field.
History Trail: Forced labor camp.
View on Circus Cabuwazi.
Circus Cabuwazi: Children and youth circus.
Circus Cabuwazi: Children and youth circus.
History trail: Park history as a recreational area.
Groundwater remediation in the area of the 'Alter Hafen'.
Groundwater remediation in the area of the 'Alter Hafen'.
The „Alter Hafen“ is the first airport, before the Tempelhof Airport, which operated from 1923 to 1945. The groundwater investigation carried out in 1984 revealed groundwater contamination with typical components of aviation fuel in the area of the “Alter Hafen".
In coordination with the responsible authority, the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district office in Berlin, measures were taken to avert danger in order to safely prevent the spread of groundwater contamination in the future.
History trail: Aviation history.
Former airport fire department training aircraft, Nord 262.
The US Air Force set up various training facilities on the ground of the former Tempelhof airport including a shooting range or pictured above the parachute jump facility. Now serving as relics of historical use.
Old airfield sign.
A Douglas C-54, called a Raisin bomber or Candy bomber, on the former ground of the Tempelhof airport. A military transport aircraft, which brought in supplies to West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift, the Soviet Berlin Blockade in 1948-1949. The pilots used to throw sweets on small parachutes out of the window to children watching planes on the edges of the airfield, which led to the nickname Candy/Raisin bomber.
View on the former airport, the hangars and gates.
The white radio tower built by the US for surveillance purposes.
Former Tempelhof Airport: main entrance.
Tempelhof Airport has been listed as a historic monument since 1995. It is a largest architectural monument in Europe and one of the few remaining monumental buildings from the national socialism era.
Former Tempelhof Airport: at the main entrance.
Former Tempelhof Airport: at the main entrance.
Basketball court.
Former airport air-traffic control.
For nature conservations reasons the meadows are only mowed once a year. During the summer months the endangered skylark breeds in the inner meadow ring and at that time this area stays cordoned off as a protection zone.
Sunset watching points.
Gemeinschaftsgarten: Community garden, where gardeners can grow plants. It was established to show how common land can be used by local communities. It has become a meeting and recreation place open to everybody.
At the "Grünes Klassenzimmer": "Green classroom".
At the "Lernort Natur": The learning from nature project.
At the "Lernort Natur": The learning from nature project.
At the "Grünes Klassenzimmer".
"Green Classroom" is a project, which makes it possible for children and teenagers from cooperating primary and secondary schools to have their science lessons in the "Bauhaus Reuse Pavilion" (not in the picture) and outdoors all year round.
Former German weather station.
Mini ramp for skateboarders and all other roller sports.
Mini ramp for skateboarders and all other roller sports.
Vogelfreiheit: A granite sculpture made of the recycled slabs from the demolished Palast der Republik, which is used by skateboarders and many others.
Former US Air Force waste incineration plant.
Cafe Blaue Stunde.
A memorial for the only church-run forced labour camp in Germany during the Second World War. It was so-called cemetery camp for workers from Soviet Union operated by the Protestant church from 1942 to 1945. It is located outside the park gates.