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Tempelhofer Feld is now a park and recreational area in the heart of Berlin. It covers 355 hectares, or 3,550,000 square metres. In theory, there is just under one square metre available here for every city resident. It lies in the districts of Neukölln and Tempelhof, between Hasenheide Park and the Ringbahn.

Until the 18th century, there were fields here that were farmed by farmers from Schöneberg. The Prussian state then used the site for military exercises and parades by the Prussian army. At the time, the famous parade poplar stood here, past which thousands of soldiers marched.

Later, Berliners used the site for leisure, picnics and sport. There was the Schlangenpfuhl swimming lake, and records from 1912 show that there were 32 football pitches on Tempelhofer Feld, allocated by lottery to various sports clubs. In 1924, a stadium was built for the BFC Preußen club, with room for 40,000 spectators.

In 1922, a section of land on the northern edge of the site was levelled to create a runway for aircraft. This marked the beginning of the development of Tempelhof Airport. During the Nazi era, the new airport building was constructed, and at one point Luftwaffe fighter planes were manufactured there by forced labourers.

After the end of the Second World War, flight operations resumed in August 1945. Until 1990, only aircraft belonging to airlines from the United States, France and Great Britain were allowed to take off and land here. The airport gained particular importance during the Berlin Blockade of 1948 to 1949. For several months, the Soviet Union blocked land access to West Berlin. Supplies were therefore flown in. At times, planes landed every 90 seconds. After Tegel Airport was built, the airport was initially closed to civilian air traffic in 1970, but reopened in 1985. Finally, all flight operations ceased permanently in 2008.

Since May 8, 2010, the entire site has been open to the public, from sunrise to sunset. There are more than ten entrances. Since then, the site has been used in many different ways. People come for a walk, ride bikes or inline skates, fly colorful kites, or sit down for a picnic.

People aren’t the only ones who enjoy this park. Tempelhofer Feld is also a refuge for many plants and animals. The park is one of Berlin’s most important habitats for birds. Skylarks, for example, nest in its natural meadows.