It’s never easy to ask someone to give back a cherished gift. Last year, politicians asked Berliners to do exactly that with Tempelhof, the former airport turned much-loved communal area.
Famous as the lifeline for West Berlin during the Cold War, Tempelhof’s airfield had become the city’s biggest park. Since it was turned over to the public in May 2010, the site has been immensely popular with families, joggers, rollerbladers, kite-flyers, wind-karters, urban gardeners, yoga enthusiasts, hipsters and layabouts; smoke rises in summer from the abundance of barbecues. more…