Tempelhof Field: Berlin's Most Radical Urban Experiment

There's something almost surreal about standing on a runway in the middle of a city. No planes overhead, no security checkpoints—just wind, space, and a six-kilometer stretch of concrete that locals have turned into one of the most democratic public spaces in Europe. Tempelhof Field, the former airport that closed in 2008, is now a 300-hectare park—and what happens here says more about Berlin's values than any guidebook cliche ever could.

It's been interesting researching this place, talking to regulars, understanding why Berliners fought so hard to keep it exactly as it is. Because in 2014, when the city government wanted to build housing around the edges, 64% of voting Berliners said no in a referendum. They chose open space over development. They chose possibility over planning.

That decision tells you everything about what Tempelhof means.

Why an Airport Became a Park (And Why It Almost Didn't)

Tempelhof's history is complicated—designed by the Nazis in the 1930s as propaganda architecture, it became the site of the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49, when supply planes landed every 90 seconds to keep West Berlin alive during the Soviet blockade. After reunification, it kept operating as an airport until 2008, when it closed because Berlin-Brandenburg Airport was supposed to open. (Spoiler: that took another 12 years and became Germany's most infamous construction disaster.)

When the massive airfield suddenly became available, citizens proposed over 200 different projects for using the space. The government selected temporary "pioneer projects"—community gardens, sports initiatives, art installations—while they figured out what to do long-term.

Then came the 2014 referendum. The city wanted to build apartments. Citizens said: we need this breathing room more than we need development. The law that resulted from that vote protects the central meadow area of 202 hectares from any building, period. It's called the Tempelhof Field Preservation Law, and it's essentially a constitutional guarantee that this space stays open.

This wasn't sentimentality. Within the S-Bahn ring, only one in 20 Berliners lives in areas well-served by green space. Districts like Neukölln, Kreuzberg, and Tempelhof—dense, diverse, sometimes struggling—would have even less access without this field. The referendum was about environmental justice as much as recreation.

What Actually Happens Here

So what do Berliners do with 300 hectares of former airfield?

Everything. And that's the point.

The obvious: Cycling, inline skating, skateboarding, kite flying, picnicking, BBQs, jogging. The runways are smooth enough that inline skaters treat them like a six-kilometer rink. On summer weekends, you'll see everything from kitesurfers catching the wind to families barbecuing in the designated areas (grills must be 25cm high to protect the grass—yes, there are rules).

The community gardens: Since April 2011, over 500 gardeners have been running Allmende-Kontor, an intercultural community garden on 5,000 square meters. It's built entirely from recycled materials—pallets become benches, shopping carts become compost bins. They can't dig into the soil (no one knows what's beneath from the military years), so everything grows in movable raised beds.

What makes it work? As one founder put it: "What saves us is social control. Which is the principle of a community garden. Like in a village, everyone sees everything." It's self-organized, free, and open to anyone who wants to show up and plant something.

The wildlife: Skylarks breed here among grazing sheep. Kestrels and the endangered wheatear have made the vast field their new home. Certain areas are fenced off March through August to protect nesting birds. Since 2019, around 100 Skudden sheep (a threatened breed) live on the field as landscape maintainers, doing what sheep do best: keeping vegetation under control while looking photogenic.

The sports: Tennis walls, high ropes arena, the Cabuwazi circus, beach volleyball, softball, boules courts, running clubs, fitness courses, even a chess center near the Crashgate entrance. There's a Dingadu talent school teaching unicycling and circus skills. Flamenco dancers meet on the dance floor near the Tempelhof S-Bahn entrance.

It's chaotic in the best way. No master plan, just people using space.

The Experience: Why It Feels Different

Here's what surprises first-time visitors: the scale. At 386 hectares, it's as big as 541 football pitches. A walk around the entire perimeter is six kilometers and takes about 90 minutes.

The second surprise: the horizon. You're in the middle of Berlin, one of Europe's major capitals, and you can see uninterrupted sky in every direction. The atmosphere at sunset is overwhelming—in the middle of the city, you have a horizon.

There's something about that openness that changes how people behave. We've noticed it ourselves on visits: groups spread out more, kids run farther, everyone moves a bit slower. The field gives you permission to just exist without purpose, which is surprisingly rare in cities.

The old terminal building looms at one edge—a massive Nazi-era structure that's both architectural achievement and historical burden. The renovated THF Tower now has a roof terrace with views over the field and city, open select weekends for free. It's worth going up just to grasp the scale from above.

The Berlin Circus Festival & Other Events

The Berlin Circus Festival, running August 5-16, 2025, is the largest contemporary circus festival in Germany, with 19 productions and 51 shows over 12 days. Last year drew 13,000 people—not bad for an art form that most cities relegate to children's entertainment.

There's also a giant kite festival in late September, sports competitions, theater performances, yoga classes on the tower terrace in warm months. Events range from comedy shows to coffee cupping workshops to painting classes. The field has become Berlin's default venue for anything that needs space.

Videre læsning: Planning your visit around Berlin's festival calendar? [We've mapped out the essential cultural events worth knowing about].

The Politics (Because Everything in Berlin Is Political)

In August 2025, Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner again pushed for peripheral development, saying "We don't have enough housing in our city, so we have to use the space". The debate never really ended—it just got legally complicated by the 2014 referendum.

A Europe-wide urban planning competition held in 2025 produced six prize-winning designs for "revaluation" of the field. Some focused on nature conservation. Others proposed housing along the edges. Environmental groups remain skeptical.

Here's why this matters to visitors: Tempelhof represents a rare moment when citizens successfully claimed public space from government development plans. The field is managed collaboratively by citizens, the Senate Department, and Grün Berlin GmbH. There's a "Field Forum" that meets annually where anyone can propose ideas for new community projects.

It's messy, sometimes frustrating, very Berlin. But it also means the field keeps evolving based on what people actually want to do there, not what planners think should happen.

Practical Information: How to Actually Visit

Getting there: Take S41/S42/S47 to S-Bhf Tempelhof (3 minutes to main entrance Tempelhofer Damm) or U6 to U-Bhf Tempelhof or Paradestraße. There are three main entrances plus several side gates. Don't drive—there's essentially no parking, and that's by design.

Opening hours (2025):

• January & December: 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

• February & November: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

• March: 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM

• April & September: 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM

• May & August: 6:00 AM - 9:30 PM

• June & July: 6:00 AM - 10:30 PM

• October: 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Gates close at these times. After closing, you can leave through revolving gates at the main entrances.

Cost: Free. Always.

What to bring:

• Your own wheels (bike, inline skates, skateboard). Vehicle hire is available at Mobilcenter Berlin and Steckdose Berlin container near the Tempelhof S-Bahn entrance—bikes, pedal scooters, even Segways, but they're not always reliable.

• Water and snacks. There are snack stands at the edges, but amenities are spread out.

• Sunscreen and hat. The field is vast with little shade.

• Portable grill if you want to BBQ (must be 25cm+ high). The southwest BBQ area on Tempelhofer Damm is usually less crowded.

Rules worth knowing:

• Dogs must be leashed outside designated areas

• Cycling/skating only on paved surfaces

• No motor vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds

• No camping (park closes nightly)

• Respect the fenced-off nature conservation areas

Best times:

• Early morning for empty runways and sunrise

• Golden hour (before sunset) for photography and that legendary horizon view

• Summer evenings when everyone's out

How long to spend: Depends entirely on what you do. A quick walk-through: 1 hour. Proper exploration: 2-3 hours. Full day with picnic, activities, sunset: absolutely worth it.

What Tempelhof Says About Berlin

Cities reveal themselves in how they handle space. Paris has its grands boulevards, designed to prevent revolutionary barricades. New York has Central Park, carved out as a lung for the wealthy before the masses moved in. Berlin took one of its most historically loaded sites—a Nazi airport, Cold War symbol, reunification relic—and turned it into radical openness.

There's no entry fee, no security theater, no "activation" by corporate sponsors. The field is described as "a place of lived democracy and a field of experimentation" where new things can be tried out. When we researched this, that phrase kept coming up in different forms: experimentation, possibility, option space.

It's not perfect. The debates about housing are legitimate—Berlin does need more apartments. The pioneer projects sometimes feel chaotic and under-resourced. Summer weekends get crowded enough that locals complain about tourist groups taking selfies on the runway.

But the fundamental choice—to keep this space open, undefined, available—feels increasingly important in cities that commodify every square meter. Tempelhof is Berlin at its most idealistic: believing that people need room to breathe more than they need another shopping district, that community happens when you create space for it rather than programming it, that sometimes the best plan is to let things emerge.

Whether you spend twenty minutes or a full afternoon there, you're participating in that experiment. And that, more than any specific activity or attraction, is what makes it essential.

Videre læsning: Want to explore more of Berlin's unique approach to public space? [Our guide to Berlin's urban gardens and community projects reveals similar stories across the city].

How Tempelhof Fits Into Your Berlin Trip

We'll be direct: if you're in Berlin for 48 hours and trying to hit all the major sights, Tempelhof might not make the cut. But if you have 3+ days, or if you're the kind of traveler who'd rather understand a city than photograph its monuments, go.

It pairs well with:

• Kreuzberg & Neukölln neighborhoods: The field borders both. Explore the streets around Bergmannkiez (north side) or Schillerkiez (east side) before or after.

• Museum exploring: Use Tempelhof as a breather between heavy museum days. The contrast will make both experiences better.

• Sunday plans: When everything else is closed, the field is open and full of Berliners doing their weekend thing.

Skip it if:

• Bad weather is forecast (there's minimal shelter)

• You're mobility-limited and can't bring wheels (the scale makes walking tough)

• You need structured activities and don't do well with open-ended space

Go if:

• You want to see where Berliners actually spend time

• You're interested in urban planning and community spaces

• You need a break from tourist-heavy areas

• You want to understand Berlin's post-reunification identity

• You like cycling, skating, or just lying in grass watching kites

The field won't go on your Instagram as readily as the Brandenburg Gate. But you'll remember the feeling of standing on a runway watching the sun set over the city, surrounded by people gardening and skating and grilling and just being. That's the Berlin most visitors miss, and it's the one worth finding.