Tempelhof Airport (closed) Zentralflughafen

At one time the area of the present Tempelhof airport in Berlin's Tempelhof district was a military training ground. In 1883 the Swiss painter Arnold Böcklin experimented here with two unpowered biplanes, but his attempts to fly failed because of high winds. In 1908 the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first powered flight here (19 minutes).

In 1923 the airport began to operate for civil flights, and was extended in subsequent years, notably between 1936 and 1939 by the architect Ernst Sagebiel in the typical Nazi monumental style.

Must-see attractions nearby:

Brandenburg Gate

Charlottenburg Palace

Pergamon Museum

Gendarmenmarkt

Zoological Gardens

Under the Lime-Trees Avenue

Museum of Applied Art

After the Second World War Tempelhof was taken over by the American military government as a military airport, and was not returned to civil use until 1950. In the following year the new Tempelhof Central Airport was brought into operation, and in 1962 the present terminal building, measuring 100 m/330ft by 50 m/165ft and 17 m/56ft high, was opened.