Saturday, April 16, 2011

Tempelhof Airport Park, Berlin

16 April 2011

Today a friend took me for a walking tour of Tempelhof Airport park.  It is a very impressive airport - a pity it was closed, but it makes a nice park, and there were plenty of people out there - in summer I'm sure there will be many more.  Its conversion into a park is still quite recent and I think they are still trying to figure out the best way to utilize this as a public space.  Some businesses have moved into the buildings, and an area in the center of the field was closed off for meadowlark nesting habitat.
 People were riding just about anything with wheels, from rollerskates to bicycles to Segways.



 Kites were also everywhere - I wished that I had one too.  It's been a long time since I flew one.

 The old US Army section with one plane on display.
Most of the area was undeveloped and largely unused, but at the far end of the airport were football fields.
In the background there were loads of people, perhaps some kind of local football tournament was going on.
 A sign bearing the history of the airport.  Surprisingly it was way out in the field, rather than by the entrances.
 Walking back along the outer perimeter of the airport.  The buildings across the way were simply gorgeous architecture.

 And the 3rd Reich architecture of the airport itself, in stark contrast with the buildings across the way.


The Platz der Luftbrücke.  This statue, the Luftbrückendenkmal (Berlin Airlift Monument) is a memorial to those who died in the airlift operations bringing supplies to West Berlin.  I was told that the locals think it reminiscent of a claw.
 Around the base are engraved the names of those who died.
 The monument with the main entrance of the airport in the background.

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