General

Tempelhof – an Historical Guided Tour

Glimpses of the history of Tempelhof Airport

The history of Berlin from the National Socialist period through the war and the airlift and right up to reunification is reflected in the Tempelhof Airport building, which is a registered historical monument. The airport, construction of which began in 1923, became German Lufthansa's home airport in 1926, placing it at the center of a worldwide route system. Planning for the massive complex of buildings that still exists today commenced in 1935; while they were occupied starting in late 1937, they did not begin being used for air traffic until 1945. Berlin natives grew fond of the airport above all because of its importance during the 1948—49 airlift. Over the course of approximately two hours, our tours will take you to the most interesting parts of the huge building, which encloses 284,000 square meters (approx. 3,057,050 square feet).

The foyer was designed in an extremely monumental manner according to plans by architect Ernst Sagebiel with a height of four floors. The original dimensions are no longer discernible since a false ceiling was installed in the sixties; in the course of the guided tour, however, you will have an opportunity to view the upper part of the hall, which is otherwise closed to the public.

Plans called for an imposing restaurant floor above the terminal building which, however, was never completed. After 1945, this is where the Americans housed the sports facilities for their soldiers stationed at Tempelhof. The basketball hall has been unused since US forces departed in 1993.

A platform near the one-time US air traffic control center offers an impressive panorama of large parts of Berlin as well as a view of the tarmac and the huge arc of the airport hall. Originally, plans called for a colossal grandstand seating approx. 80,000 persons on the roof above the hangars. The National Socialists intended to hold annual military air shows here.

The entire complex is encompassed by a freight line for supplying the airport. Because this line has to pass beneath the terminal, the middle section takes the form of a 400 m (approx. 1311 ft) tunnel. Toward the end of World War II, the railway tunnel was used to convert and repair Focke-Wulf 190 fighter aircraft. (Regular production of Ju 87 Stuckas was started up already back in late 1939 in the terminal, the passenger gate building, and some of the hangars of the new airport.)

Numerous basement rooms under the administrative sections of the building were finished as air-raid shelters in which not only Lufthansa and airport employees took refuge during the war, but also people from the neighborhood. Some of these rooms are decorated with paintings in the style of Wilhelm Busch.

One special facility is the so-called film bunker , in which top-secret and apparently highly flammable material like celluloid film was stored. When the Soviet Army tried to open the armored door to this bunker after occupying the airport in April 1945, the material caught fire and the whole bunker was gutted. It has been maintained down to the present day in this sooty condition.

Regrettably, some areas of the airport are closed to the public at the moment for security reasons. In the rooms visited on the tour, however, photography is permitted everywhere. Above and beyond this, our guides will make an effort to answer any questions you may have. We look forward to your visit and promise you an interesting time.