Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany

Tempelhof was designated as an airport by the Ministry of Transport on 8 October 1923. The old terminal was originally constructed in 1927. In anticipation of increasing air traffic, the Nazi government began a massive reconstruction in the mid-1930s. While it was occasionally cited as the world's oldest operating commercial airport, the title was disputed by several other airports, and is no longer an issue since its closure.

Tempelhof was one of Europe's three iconic pre-World War II airports, the others being London's now defunct Croydon Airport and the old Paris – Le Bourget Airport. It acquired a further iconic status as the centre of the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49. One of the airport's most distinctive features is its large, canopy-style roof, which was able to accommodate most contemporary airliners in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, protecting passengers from the elements. Tempelhof Airport's main building was once among the top 20 largest buildings on earth; in contrast, it formerly had the world's smallest duty-free shop.

Tempelhof Airport closed all operations on 30 October 2008, despite the efforts of some protesters to prevent the closure. A non-binding referendum was held on 27 April 2008 against the impending closure but failed due to low voter turnout.

Tempelhof has been used since closing to host numerous fairs and events. The fields will be used as a park indefinitely.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

James Edward Richardson (18 months ago)
Been waiting for my luggage for over 12 years now. But there are some nice to play and relax nearby thankfully.

Samuel Gustafsson (18 months ago)
Impressive and way ahead of its time as an airport - although the architecture is very formal. The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) terminal is smaller than this - which says a lot - but also very elegantly you can see some details of Tempelhof in the design of BER (and many other modern airports).

Mathilde Rineau (2 years ago)
Great space cycle and skate!

sara switzman (2 years ago)
Room for everyone. Historical and in the middle of the city!

Ivan Bok (2 years ago)
Impressive, not easy to orientate oneself.

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