Tempelhof: Runway to freedom
Tempelhof airport was in the U.S. sector of Berlin at the time of the Soviet blockade and the ensuing Berlin airlift.
It was built for civilian use between 1934 and 1939 and was thought at the time to be one of the world's largest buildings. Most of Tempelhof was underground, and during World War II the Germans used it as an airplane factory and hospital.
When the airlift began, Tempelhof was one of two airports in West Berlin -- the other being Gatow in the British sector. Plans were soon made to build an airport at Tegel, in the French sector. The Tegel landing strip was built using rubble left over from U.S. and British air raids.
For the airlift pilots, Tempelhof had the most hazardous landing conditions of the three airports in West Berlin. The landing strip was surrounded by apartment buildings. Air crews also had to be wary of a 400-foot-tall brewery smokestack during final approach. (The brewery's owner refused U.S. appeals to take down the chimney.) The airport's runway was covered with pierced-steel planking, a supposedly temporary measure that often damaged the tires of heavily loaded aircraft.
Following the lifting of the Soviet blockade and the end of the airlift, the square in front of Tempelhof was renamed "Platz der Luftbrücke"
In 1962, a 57-foot-tall monument was erected outside Tempelhof's entrance, facing westward. The sweeping monument has three prongs -- symbolizing the three air corridors that became West Berlin's lifeline during the airlift. On its base are inscribed the names of the 70 British and U.S. personnel who died in crashes and other airlift accidents.
Tempelhof remains an active airport serving mostly domestic flights. In June 1998, it hosted ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the Berlin airlift.
