Tempelhof Airport – a Venue with an Historical Character
Following its closing in 2008, the former Berlin Tempelhof Airport , once the largest city airport in the world, will become a venue for expos and other major events. 60 years after the famous Luftbrücke Airlift, which placed the airport in the world’s history annals, it now becomes home to sporting events, shows, expos, and exhibits. An international equestrian competition, a motocross race, the Pyromusikale – the largest festival of musical fireworks in the world, and the fashion expo “Bread and Butter”
Whilst the building was one of the largest in Europe with a gross floor area of 284,000 m² it remained unfinished due to the war. In April 1945 the Red Army moved in. Some weeks later the Americans took over the airport, repaired the damaged parts and began civilian flights between Berlin and New York in May 1946.
The Berlin Airlift was the cargo plane air supply to West Berlin after the Soviet occupiers cut off the land routes to the western part of the city from June 23, 1948 to May 12, 1949 . The Airlift lasted until August 27, 1949. During his period, the Americans and Brits provided the isolated city with food, fuel, and medicine day and night with a total of 277,569 flights.
During the Berliner Blockade between 1948-1949, supply planes landed every minute to keep West Berlin alive. Pilot Gail Halvorsen started throwing sweets out of the cockpit during touchdown and other pilots followed suit. The planes soon earned the nickname of "candy bombers", and the memorial to honour the lost pilots on the "Platz der Luftbrücke" was coined the "Hunger Rake" by the citizens of Berlin due to its shape.
Impressions of the BERLIN VITAL at Tempelhof Airport can be found here.
Approach, 222 kb
If you want to contact us,
please call:
(030) 30 12 88 25
Opening hours
Thursday, September 23, 2010
2 to 8 p.m.
Friday, September 24, 2010
noon to 9 p.m.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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