Those, who as young men were involved in the Berlin Airlift, serving as aircrew on the non-stop flights that operated in and out of the city's Tempelhof Airport, would love to go back to Berlin and see how the airport has changed. The famous airport, however, does no longer operate, but there is still something to see. The airport may have closed, but Tempelhof has become effectively a memorial to the heroism shown during the Berlin Airlift by British and American aircrews and pilots.
When the Soviet Union decided to blockade Berlin in June 1948, the city depended on the British and American airlift to supply its needs - particularly food and fuel.
Last year the airport marked the 60th anniversary of the end of the Airlift and earlier this year, the runway area opened as the city's biggest park - three times the size of London's Hyde Park. Everything remained exactly as it was when the airport operated its last flight in 2008, including the carefully marked runways and the radar tower.
In fact, Tempelhof has a significant place in aviation history.
As a parade field, Tempelhof witnessed the first demonstration flights by the Frenchman, Armand Zipfel, followed by pioneer Orville Wright in 1909. Tempelhof’s reputation in aviation was born, however, its designation as an airport did not arrive until 1923. Lufthansa was founded here in 1926 and the following year Tempelhof became the first airport in the world with its own underground station - now called Platz der Luftbrücke.
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