join me for a close-up tour of this amazing airport and historical landmark, taken in full medium format glory on kodak portra 800 and ilford hp5+ film.
“Berlin deserves medium format”, one of my close friends told me, and boy was he right. I paid close attention to his advice and loaded up my Hasselblad with a ton of film (purchased of course locally at Berlin’s wonderful Fotoimpex shop). I had forgotten how good the Hasselblad is as a travel carry around camera (if you don’t mind a bit of extra weight of course). This is one of quite a few posts of Berlin, where I spent 4 days visiting family and friends a few weeks ago. It took me ages to scan all the film so I am only getting round to posting these shots now.
Sweets or film…?
Fotoimpex certainly have a great selection of film.
About the airport
Templehof is an unbelievable architectural marvel with an equally fascinating history. Construction on this mammoth project began in 1936 and it remains incomplete. Apparently it used to be one of the 20 largest buildings in the world, and if you have ever visited you can see why. I also heard it was the largest airport and building in Europe at one point. Its iconic canopy style roof spreads out across the main apron over a kilometre long, with an airport design I don’t believe had ever been used before or since.
The airport is also famous for its critical role during the cold war as the location of the famous Berlin Airlift, in which the Western Allies (USA, France, and Britain) responded to a Soviet blockade of Berlin by supplying West Berlin by air. Airplanes landed at the airport every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day for close to 12 months. It was an absolute privilege to see the location of this amazing historical feat in person.
I can’t even begin to summarise how fascinating the history of this airport is, so please read here for architectural overview and here for a general overview. And with that, enough history and more photographs!
The main entrance.
A really cool shot my Dad took back in (I think) the 1960s when he travelled to Templehof as part of the US Air Force.
Really cool lighting just inside the main terminal and the beginning of the 2 hour walking tour. The tour is highly recommended and visits all aspects of the terminal, including extensive underground bomb shelters used during the second world war.
Above the main terminal hall, unfinished and bare.
I really love this shot, the group intently looking at an aerial photo of the Templehof complex. The tour guide explained the dual purpose of the airport: to serve as a world class airport as well as being an important propaganda medium for the national socialist party under Hitler, aiming to accommodate 80,000 people on the roof to observe air shows. It is really interesting that the stairwells are built like football stadiums and not airports, in order to enable so many visitors to access the roof.
More on the fascinating architectural history of this airport here.
Part of the visit of course includes a view over the boarding gates area, which show a direct access to the airport grounds. One of my favourite series of shots of the day.
One of my favourite stories from the tour was how the Americans turned part of the airport into a basketball court that even homed a local team, the “Berlin Braves” at USAF-TAB (US Air Force Templehof Airforce Base). The plugs in this part of the airport (previously an American base) are even American sockets. As I understand it the base formed part of the airport with the other part being a normal airport.
I had no idea that Lufthansa was founded in this airport in January 1926, with its first flight heading to Munich.
the main hall
The tour guide saved by far the best bit for the end, the main hall. This enormous hall is even more impressive as it is completely empty and still houses a lot of the original airport artefacts from decades ago, including logos of airlines you have never heard of. These shots were made for Kodak Portra 800 and I am glad I decided to bring my last roll with me on this trip - just perfect. How grand this airport terminal building must have been in use! The airport was actually still in use until relatively recently, with all operations ceasing towards the end of 2008.
The first shot is a through the viewfinder shot of the main hall, followed up by the final image.
Black & white versions of the main hall.
A monument outside the airport dedicated to the Berlin Airlift, a fitting last shot for this post.
overall observations
It goes without saying that I absolutely loved this 2 hour tour. I was also lucky that I seemed to be the only “real” photographer in a group of 20+ people, so I hung towards the back the group and had plenty of time to setup each shot. That being said, everything was shot handheld, making best use of railings and other ways to stabilise my shots. I am really happy with how these shots came out, there is nothing I like more than large empty spaces to shoot on large negatives!
I hope you enjoyed a brief overview of this fascinating airport, and if you are ever in Berlin I highly recommend the tour. You can find more information about the tour here (it is in English and runs daily).
Thanks and see you soon for Part 2 of my Berlin trip!
Neil
