Tempelhof - Articulating the Void

Tempelhof - Articulating the void Niamh Lincoln 1. a Tempelhof - Articulating the void Niamh Lincoln With special thanks to Florian Kossak and Klaus DeWinder. Content January 2014 - A stroll through Tempelhof 8 - 9 Preamble 12 Chapter One - The stages of Tempelhofer Feld. History and continued discourse 16 - 47 From meadow to airfield 16 - 21 The third reich’s aerial gateway 22 - 35 Symbol of liberation 36 - 37 The end of the airport 38 - 39 Tempelhofer Feld as public space 40 - 47 Chapter Two - Tempelhof as void 48 - 88 The void as memory 54 - 59 The void as authentic space 60 - 61 The void as vulnerability 62 - 65 The void as escape 66 - 71 The void as absence of function 72 - 75 The void unrestored 76 - 79 The void as liberation 80 - 89 Chapter Three - Tempelhofer Feld für Alle 90 - 107 The power of non-intervention 108 - 115 Bibliography 118 - 129 Image credits 130 - 135 6 8 - 9 12 16 - 47 16 - 21 22 - 35 36 - 37 38 - 39 40 - 47 48 - 88 54 - 59 60 - 61 62 - 65 66 - 71 72 - 75 76 - 79 80 - 89 90 - 107 108 - 115 1. b 118 - 129 130 - 135 7 Tempelhof is defined by an overwhelming sense of absence; devoid of buildings, trees and topography. The expansive 386 hectare site sits in the midst of three of the densest boroughs in Berlin, an impassive vacuum larger than both Tiergarten and Central Park, yet bearing none of the traits of a traditional urban park. The horizontal vistas are virtually uninterrupted for miles, punctuated by the occasional kite hovering in the skyline. The geometry of the space is delineated by mud-paths and runways. Once destined for machines, these lines are now subverted for human play. On a summer’s day the place is filled with barbecue smoke and cyclists hurtling down the runway. Ernst Sagebiel’s terminal remains unchallenged: a brash, sweeping quadrant fenced off from the rest of the park, severe yet strangely serene in its juxtaposition to the vastness and flatness of the site. Today there are no barbecues or rollerbladers. It is -11 degrees and I have chal- lenged myself to walk along the perimeter of Tempelhofer Feld. The sky is deeply oppressive and Tempelhof lies under a thick blanket of snow. It is a Tuesday afternoon in late January and the place feels deserted. I have decided to confine my walk to the boundaries of the former airfield, starting on the south east tip of the Park at the junction of Oderstrasse and Warthestrasse. A continuous interlocking fence precisely defines the fringes of Tempelhofer Feld. The southern and less frequented extremity of the park extends alongside a sequence of brown field sites running parallel to the ring-bahn. The sound of the traffic and S-bahn trains is slightly muffled by the snow. A middle-aged couple cross-ski past me. As I look towards the Terminal, I can just about make out the speckles in the sky as belonging to the kites of snowboarders gliding along the airstrip. To my left, there is an abrupt transition from the sequence of ex-industrial sites to a string of perfectly manicured allotments. I have now reached the south west tip of the airfield by Tempelhof S bahn station. The landscape beyond the fence is quite different. As I head north along the side of Tempelhofer Damm the scene to my left has changed, becoming a progression of identical single faceted apartment blocks - or Mietskaserne - interspersed by the occasional Spaetkauf. Advancing towards Platz der Luftbrücke, 8 the airport Terminal now reveals itself at full scale. A vast concrete apron sprawls across the base of the Terminal; this area is cordoned off so I veer back east. I am now walking into the wind surrounded by a dozen kite-snowboarders zigzagging across the runway. Everything is monotone. The snow is barely distinguishable from the sombre sky above. I have been in Tempel- hof for more than an hour and the bitter cold has become intolerable. I diverge onto a smaller path towards Columbiadamm. The edge borders the brick wall of a neighbouring mosque and is the only section of the airfield to have some trees. In summer people congregate here to shelter from the sun, but today I have come to shelter from the wind as I make my way back to the Neukölln entrance on Oderstrasse. 1. c 9 10 1. d 11 Tempelhofer Feld presents a very particular form of public space, as a Tempelhofer Feld presents a very particular form of public space, as a 386-hectare vacuum in the city of Berlin. Exploring the dynamics and 386-hectare vacuum in the city of Berlin. Exploring the dynamics and peculiarities that contribute to the experience and understanding of such peculiarities that contribute to the experience and understanding of such a unique space requires not only an exploration of Tempelhof ’s histori- a unique space requires not only an exploration of Tempelhof ’s histori- cal and architectural context, but an examination of the notion of ‘void’ cal and architectural context, but an examination of the notion of ‘void’ space in an urban setting. space in an urban setting. In the particular context of Berlin’s history, “even empty of objects, these In the particular context of Berlin’s history, “even empty of objects, these spaces retain an immense amount of content and weight.” spaces retain an immense amount of content and weight.”1 What is the value of respecting the emptiness of such sites? The concept of ‘void’ is related to theories of urban sociology, in particular Henri Lefebvre’s approach to the production of space and the right The concept of ‘void’ is related to theories of urban sociology, in partic- to the city. Does framing Tempelhof within these paradigms suggest a ular Henri Lefebvre’s approach to the production of space and the right potential trajectory or future? to the city. Does framing Tempelhof within these paradigms suggest a potential trajectory or future? Can the success of Tempelhof ’s reclamation as public space translate to other contexts? Does the prolonged ambiguity of Tempelhof ’s status Can the success of Tempelhof ’s reclamation as public space translate to contribute to a sense of vacuum or, as Tempelhof transcends into a more other contexts? Does the prolonged ambiguity of Tempelhof ’s status formalised public space, could the sense of liberation intrinsic to its cur- contribute to a sense of vacuum or, as Tempelhof transcends into a more rent state disappear? formalised public space, could the sense of liberation intrinsic to its cur- rent state disappear? 1 Christophe Girot, “Eulogy of the void. The lost power of Berlin landscapes after the wall”, Disp 156, (2004), p.39 12 13 2. a CHAPTER 1 The stages of Tempelhofer Feld History and continued discourse What significance does Tempelhof present in terms of Berlin’s wider narrative? Is it just another landscape scarred by ferment and destruc- tion? From meadow to airfield The great expanse of Tempelhof sits in a landscape defined by a virtual absence of topography: flatlands dubbed by postwar West German Chan- cellor, Konrad Adenauer, as the beginning of the Russian steppes.2 It was not a promising site, though representative of Berlin Brandenburg, a region characterized by its “vast inhospitaBle post- glacial floodplains with poor agricultural soil and desolate sand beds strewn with pine tree thickets”3. Today the former Brandenburg glacial plain is partly exploited for agricultural purposes and urban settlement, the remainder covered in dense pine forest, interspersed by some 3,000 lakes.4 2 Reinhard Mohr, “The myth of Berlin’s Tempelhof ”, Spiegel Online International <http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-myth-of-berlin-s-tempelhof- the-mother-of-all-airports-a-549685.html > [ accessed on 07/08/2014] 3 Christophe Girot, “Eulogy of the void. The lost power of Berlin landscapes after the wall”, p. 35 4 Dorothy Elkins, TH Elkins and B Hofmeister, Berlin. The Spatial structure of a divided city, (New York: Methuen and Co, 1988), p. 89 16 It was here, on the southern edge of the medieval settlement that became Berlin that the sheep meadows belonging to the Knights Templar became known as Tempelhof. Nearer our time, in the late 19th century the former sheep meadow became a site for military exercises, serving as a parade ground for infantry and cavalry units. In due course the field became a testing ground for military and civilian aviation. It was the inevitaBle lo- cation for early flight demonstrations by both the French aviation pioneer Armand Zipfel and the American Orville Wright in 1909. 5 The former meadow was also a popular destination for workers from the rapidly industrializing city in search of space and sunlight, escaping for a Sunday outing from their crowded courtyard dwellings. The first public debates regarding the use of the field date back to the 1870’s, with 2. b 29th August 1909 First Zeppelin landing at Tempelhofer Feld before the eyes of 300,000 spectators. 2. c Football game between Viktoria and Germania teams, 1895, Tempelhofer Feld. 5 Reinhard Mohr, “The myth of Berlin’s Tempelhof ”, Spiegel Online International <http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-myth-of-berlin-s-tempelhof- the-mother-of-all-airports-a-549685.html > [ accessed on 07/08/2014] 17 the Prussian military seeking to estaBlish Tempelhofer Feld as a lufts- chiffhafen or aviation centre for zeppelin and airship prototypes, while others favored surrendering the site to the needs of the expanding and overcrowded city, either for housing or as a dedicated recreation space6: alternative visions which continue to provide a source of contention to the present day.

Load more