Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin

Tempelhofer Feld is an open public park on the grounds of the former Tempelhof Airport, where Berliners now come for recreation. The park has been used in this way since 2010, and the open area covers more than 350 hectares between Hasenheide and the Ringbahn, on the Teltow plateau south of central Berlin. Its openness carries a much older story.

From 1722, Prussian forces used this ground for drills, manoeuvres and ceremonial parades. That military role continued until the spring of 1914. The field also became a stage for aviation: in 1886, Hugo vom Hagen made the oldest known German aerial photographs from a balloon launched here.

A particularly dramatic episode came in 1897. Friedrich Hermann Wölfert demonstrated his airship Deutschland above the field, but its hydrogen caught fire when the hot engine ignited it. Wölfert and his assistant Robert Knabe died in the crash.

Aircraft continued to define the site for decades. During the Berlin blockade from 1948 to 1949, supply planes could arrive as often as every 90 seconds. Flight operations ended completely in 2008. Since the park opened, plans for construction have met strong public resistance; a 2014 referendum preserved this broad open space for public use.