TEMPELHOF

(a quarter of Berlin which was named after the Knights Templar who ran a

fortified estate in this area in the 1200s and early 1300s)

The vast and lavish area formerly known as Tempelhof Airport is now a fun and spooky ground for outdoor enthusiasts and architecture freaks, and yes, it is extremely vast and lavish. The airfield has been saved from development by a referendum, and the terminal is a historical preservation site. Preserving Nazi Architecture? Well, yes, it needs to be shown what lunatic minds were up to, how they saw their city and how they were planning for the grossdeutsche future. One thing they came up with was this airport with lunatic proportions. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating complex of buildings where one can wander around for months and still loose a herd of cows. Because everything is so, I´m not sure if I mentioned this before, vast and lavish.

Predecessor of the passenger bridge. The covered apron is an innovative design feature of the thirties.

Whereas the general idea was a bit gigantomanic, some architectural details were ahead of its time.

The terminal where most passengers were checked through.

Great post-war interior design.

Main terminal from a different perspective.

      The interior is off limits to the public. Different guided

      tours can be booked through thf-berlin.

      Some areas of the airport have the antiquated

      aura of 1950s German bureaucracy halls.

This basket-ball court is on a top floor directly underneath the roof, in one of the many

building wings that were part of an American military compound.

Remnants of the Berlin Air Lift. The American led Air Lift made sure that

West Berliners were supplied with essentials during the blockade.

Surely more to follow...