The vast curves of Tempelhof once defined Berlin’s skyline. Often called the “mother of all airports” by architect Sir Norman Foster, this interwar giant rose between 1936 and 1941 just south of the city center. Its sweeping terminal, planned as a grand gateway to Europe, still ranks among the world’s largest building complexes.
Tempelhof’s most famous chapter came during the Berlin Airlift of 1948–49, when planes landed here around the clock to supply the blockaded western sectors of the city. In 1951, a monument was placed at the entrance square—renamed Airlift Square—to honor those flights and their crews. The airport later found its way into popular culture, appearing in films such as Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three.
After decades of service, Tempelhof closed as an airport on October 30, 2008. The runways remained, but their purpose changed: the airfield opened as a vast urban park. In summer and fall, its long strips and open meadows fill with cyclists, skaters, kiteboarders on wheels, and picnickers.
The terminal’s colossal halls and neighboring wings still impress with their size and symmetry. Designed for mass passenger flows and grand arrivals, they now host fashion weeks, trade fairs, and cultural events, offering a rare chance to experience 20th-century monumental architecture up close.
Tempelhof’s second life sparked citywide debate in the 21st century. A referendum to keep the airport operating failed, sealing its closure. Years later, another ballot protected the park from new development along its edges. The result preserved an extraordinary stretch of open space in the city while intensifying discussions about Berlin’s housing needs.
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Tempelhof_Airport
At a former Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force (RAF) airfield, RAF Gatow. The museum's focus is on military history, particularly the history of the Luftwaffe of the Bundeswehr, with a collection of more than 200,000 items, including 155 aeroplanes, 5,000 uniforms and 30,000 books. There are also displays (including aeroplanes) on the history of the airfield when it was used by the RAF. Aircraft include reproductions of Otto Lilienthal's gliders, of World War I planes such as the Fokker E.III, and World War II planes such as the Bf 109 and Me-262, as well as at least one aircraft of every type ever to serve in the air forces of East and West Germany. Most of those postwar aircraft are stored outside on the tarmac and runways, however, and many are in bad condition. There are long term restoration projects, including a Focke-Wulf Fw 190. RAF Gatow is notable as the "missing third airport" of West Berlin. Each sector used to have its own airport; the French sector had Tegel, the American sector had Tempelhof and the British had Gatow. However, RAF Gatow never saw much traffic of any kind, was more kept as a political statement than for transportation value, and thus was shut down after reunification. Tempelhof, after having been shut down for civilian traffic from 1975 to 1981, closed for all flights in 2008, while Tegel shut down in November 2020.
A museum dedicated to everyday life in communist East Germany. The museum has very relaxed rules and you are allowed to touch and examine almost every object, which adds greatly to the experience.
Heritage listed Art Nouveau railway station and charming surrounding city square.
Berlin's biggest lake and popular resort for bathing and watersports. You can also travel there by tram, which is an experience by itself.
Huge technical museum, on a former railroad depot, featuring from ancient water and wind mills to computer pioneer Konrad Zuse's inventions, a collection of old to new vehicles of all types -bicycles, boats, trains, etc - and the interactive Spectrum science center with various hands-on experiments. There's an actual C-17 "Candy Bomber" airplane hanging on its façade. The railroad and aeronautical sections are hard to beat.
A small but interesting collection of decorative arts from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods
Started in the 15th century and finished in the mid-18th century, the baroque palace was the residence of electors, kings and emperors until 1918, when it became a museum. The palace was badly damaged during World War II and later razed in 1950, replaced by the GDR with a modernist Palast der Republik. The Palast was in turn gradually dismantled at the turn of the century, as it was discovered to contain asbestos and its former function of housing the GDR parliament became obsolete. Berlin has started in June 2013 construction on a new version of its historic Stadtschloss. The Schlüterhof, an inner courtyard, was also rebuilt. The building opened with a delay in 2021 with museums inside and a roof terrace with a good view. Among the Berlin museums this is perhaps the most controversial due to reconstruction of a monarchist palace being seen as a questionable political statement and due to the fact that many of the exhibits were sourced from German colonies under ethically questionable circumstances leading to demands to return some or all of them to their places of origin.
Oderberger Straße is known for its beautiful and generous Gründerzeit architecture, as well as its cafés and restaurants. Since before Germany's reunification the street has been the desired place for alternative folks and avant-gardists, but the area has seen continual gentrification since the early 2000s.
The only surviving Berlin city gate and a potent symbol of the city. This is the point where Straße des 17. Juni becomes Unter den Linden. The gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans in 1791 and was intended to resemble the Acropolis in Athens. The Brandenburg Gate now symbolizes reunification, after dividing East and West Berlin for decades. This is the site of Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev open this gate, Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall" speech.
The building houses the personal offices of the Chancellor and the Chancellery staff. The Berlin Chancellery is one of the largest government headquarters buildings in the world. By comparison, the new Chancellery building is ten times the size of the White House. A semi official Chancellor's apartment is on the top floor of the building. The 200-m², two-room flat has thus far only been occupied by Gerhard Schröder chancellors since then have lived elsewhere. It is usually not possible to visit the building, but on occasion there are tours, usually around August. The building was deliberately designed in a way to symbolize the German constitutional system - it's in the line of sight of the Bundestag and lower in height, symbolizing the role of parliament in controlling government and "the people's house" being the higher power in the relationship between the two. Or at least that's the idea.