Tempelhofer Feld (Tempelhof Field)

The people of Berlin are delighted with their new, yet old-established recreation area. The former Tempelhof airport is now a public park – and not for the first time in its history. Originally the Tempelhofer Feld was a parade ground. At the weekends and on public holidays, as soon as the military cleared the site, the locals would swarm in their thousands to Tempelhof to enjoy their leisure time. Whole families would come with their baskets full of food, deckchairs and sunshades to have picnics there. At the beginning of the 1920s, Tempelhof airport was built on the site. After the airport closed in 2008, the city of Berlin reclaimed the 386-hectare open space and one of the world's largest buildings in a central location for public use. Today, the area has a six-kilometre cycling, skating and jogging trail, a 2.5-hectare BBQ area, a dog-walking field covering around four hectares and an enormous picnic area for all visitors.

The three entrances (Columbiadamm, Tempelhofer Damm and Oderstrasse) are open from sunrise to sunset.

Infos for school classes

The Tempelhofer Park offers school classes plenty of room to let off steam, wander around discovering and investigating. Guided tours lasting 2.5 hours on various subjects are offered in the protected building (the largest in Europe by surface area). School pupils up to the age of 14 years pay 6 Euros, from 15 years 8 Euros. If the group consists of 10 or more pupils, please register by telephone beforehand.

Freedom for the entire family

On windy days, Tempelhofer Freiheit not only offers families the best place to fly a kite, but due to the many stretches of asphalt that were once runways among other things, and in the absence of any motorised transport, athletes big and small can safely practise skateboarding, in-line skating and bicycling or unicycling here. Dogs can also romp to their heart's content - without disturbing other visitors. Three fenced-in dog runs ensure that animals and humans won't get in each other's way. You can marvel at even more urban nature in the urban gardening section, where residents and others grow lettuce, carrots and tomatoes on raised beds.

Around Tempelhofer Feld

Without doubt, the vast Tempelhofer Feld is the highlight of the district, but there’s plenty going on in the streets all around it. Near the former airfield are the Fliegerviertel, Papestraße and the Schwerbelastungskörper, which all have their own history and fascinating stories to tell.

Find out more about the city’s neighbourhoods with our Going Local Berlin app.