Zukunftsort Flughafen Tempelhof

Artistic, cultural and creative district in the making

Tempelhof Airport is Europe’s largest historic monument, with the curve of the building stretching 1.2km. This colossal but unfinished building has many stories to tell, mirroring the turbulent history of Berlin.

Today, Tempelhof Airport has multiple uses as both an event-location and workspace for over 2,000 people (around 80 companies are located on site). In addition, large areas are being developed, paying close attention to heritage protection.

The building is gradually being redeveloped into a lively city quarter; a place for experimentation, art, culture, creative industries and public use. In 2021, the former air traffic control tower will be opened to the public. In 2023, the open-air History Gallery will open, offering views over Tempelhofer Feld. In the meantime, the CHECK-IN visitor center offers tourists a place to explore the history of the building and discover plans for the future development.

Tempelhof Airport is to become a future-oriented meeting and exchange place serving the public interest for Berlin, Germany and the whole world. A city within a city, colourful and diverse with art, culture, creative industries, public uses, and major events.

Interesting facts about the building:

• Largest contiguous building at the time of its construction (1936–41) and the most modern airport of its time
• building named Historic Landmark of Civil Engineering in Germany by the Federal Chamber of Engineers in 2011
• Gross indoor floor space of approximately 300,000 m² on an almost 400 hectare campus

The monumental terminal reflected the preferred self-representation of the German state at the time it was built, while the modern architecture on the air side emphasizes the engineering structure. But it’s not just the size that impresses. Since its inception, the airport has been the setting and backdrop for important historical events in Germany that reflect the history of the 20th century. The place is just as inseparable from the history of flight as it is from the horrors of the Cold War and the great solidarity shown during the 1947-48 Berlin Airlift.

Industries

• Media & Creative industries
• Art & Culture
• Events

Development of the district

The development of the former airport into a district for art, culture, creative industries, and public uses is a generational project. Especially since the building was never fully completed and parts are still under construction today. Inadequate construction at the time the airport was built and especially after the start of the war, as well as inadequate maintenance, had left the now-listed in poor condition after it closed. In order to make use of the space, the building will be extensively renovated in stages over the coming decades in a climate-friendly manner.

Even if the building needs a complete renovation, a good 80 companies and institutions now have their offices and commercial space in the airport building, including designers, musicians, digital agencies, game developers, and even the Berlin police.

Today, the internationally sought-after event location already offers visitors from all over the world an extraordinary stage for events such as fashion and sports fairs, international art exhibitions, theater performances or the annual Formula E racing event.

Tempelhof Projekt GmbH, founded in 2011, is responsible for the planning, refurbishment, maintenance, operation and gradual development of the airport with a team of around 90 people on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing of the State of Berlin.

THF Links

History of location
THF TOWER
CHECK-IN visitor center
Leesees
Event location THF
Tours of airport building
Renovation