The Small World of Tempelhof Airport

Bike riding along the old taxiway.  Also in this view - the
building at the end of the airport, near the radar tower,
known as Head Building East - my quarters were there
from 1984-1986.

Back in November, when I started looking into what’s happening at the old Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, I’d hoped that I would find out something exciting about the place where I lived for nearly five years from 1981 to 1986.  I did – the incredible urban park that is being developed there is a real breakthrough, and I was happy to know that when I get the chance to visit Berlin again I’ll be able to go out into the airfield and visit some places with fond memories.

Some of the "victory gardens" out in the airfield.  When I
lived here, there were some spaces available for this
purposes out beyond the runways.

I also hope to be able to spend more time on the business and technology aspects of what the city is trying to do with the space, but that will take more time for discovery before I can post much on it here on the blog.  In the meantime, I had a chance encounter here in my neighborhood with some folks that were familiar with Tempelhofer Freiheit – having been there as recently as last summer.

Our neighbors work in the education field, and their experience living and working in Berlin overlaps mine, beginning in the mid-1980’s just as my time there was ending.  They’ve since gone back a few times, and have had the chance to go to the park at Tempelhof to check it out.  They shared some photos with me – bike riding, picnics, victory gardens, and nature trails – it all looks pretty wonderful to me.

Tempelhofer Freiheit is obviously very popular for picnics!

I'll close today's post with my neighbor's photos.  If you're interested in my previous posts in this series, click on the "Berlin-Tempelhof" label at the end of this post.

There are interpretive signs for some of the reserved
natural habitat areas.