Tempelhofer Feld

Tempelhof was one of the oldest and most important airports in the world. Opened in 1923, it was particularly famous as being the focal point of the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49, when the Soviet Union denied Western Allies access to West Berlin in one of the first major crises of the Cold War. Cargo airplanes from several different countries landed at Tempelhof to provide provisions to the beleaguered city. Soon airmen, led by Gail Halvorsen began dropping pieces of candy attached to small parachute to the children of Berlin in an attempt to raise morale. Halvorsen would earn the name “Uncle Wiggly Wings” and the “Candy Bomber” because of his efforts. The airport remained a major transportation hub throughout the Cold War period, but closed in 2008. After its closure, and a campaign to retain the airport, it was decided that the airport and its runways should be used as a park. Today, in addition to a couple of “Grillplatz” (A BBQ area), the runways are used for human activities while most of the grass areas are used by wildlife, including several ground-nesting bird species.

I made the trip to Tempelhofer on the Pentecost holiday. Many people were taking advantage of the park despite the weather being overcast, cool and windy. I decided, as a novelty, to walk the entire length of the runway thinking about what a different perspective it was traveling the large concrete path by foot rather than by airplane. As I walked, there was a myriad of family stories going on around me on runway 27A: An older brother, or cousin, in his late teens is patiently teaching a girl of about eight how to ride a skateboard. A quarter of a mile further, I saw a father on rollerblades teaching his young daughter how to ride a bike. Several people were flying kites of various shapes and sizes.

There were several young men, joined by a small number of young women, drinking beer in the park. The sight of two or three men carrying a case or two of beer into a public park would probably we worrying to many Americans. Indeed, the amount of beer being consumed by a few people was staggering, and it is common to see men, with their backs to the crowds, urinating into the meadow where, I suspect, some of those thousands of nesting birds receive a not-so-nice surprise. Given the number of people who use the park, especially in the grill area, the amount of debris and trash is remarkable low. A similar park in the US would generate more litter. That is not to say that Tempelhofer is pristine, there are the occasional broken beer bottles on the runway, but it is remarkably cleaner than one would expect.