Suche
Tempelhof's famous lettering returns - a piece of Berlin history!
The lettering “Berlin - Tempelhof” will be reinstalled after restoration. Find out more about the redevelopment of the iconic airport.
Tempelhof's famous lettering returns - a piece of Berlin history!
The former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, an outstanding icon of aviation history and architecture, will get its distinctive “Berlin – Tempelhof” lettering back by the end of this week. This after more than a year in which the characteristic letters on the roof had been removed. Tempelhof Projekt GmbH announced that the reinstallation is taking place as part of the ongoing roof renovation work that has been carried out since 2012. The aim is to complete the renovation by 2027, with estimated costs of around 32 million euros, as Tagesspiegel reports.
The roof renovation itself continued in May 2024 and is the final phase of a project that affects a large part of the roof on the airport building. The roof has a total length of around 1.2 kilometers and was built between 1935 and 1941. It has an average height of 19 meters and covers an area of around 21,400 square meters, according to THF-Bauten.
Details on the restoration of the lettering
The letters of the lettering were restored in a workshop in Hoppegarten in accordance with monument standards. According to Tagesspiegel, the restoration included the replacement of rusted sheet metal parts and a thorough renewal of the paint. The total cost of the restoration was 210,000 euros. The letters, which together have a length of 42 meters and a height of two meters, will now be electrically connected again and illuminated with 213 integrated neon tubes.
The lettering was probably first added in 1973, after the original name had been painted over. The symbolic meaning of this lettering should not be underestimated: It not only stands for Ernst Sagebiel's architectural masterpiece, but also for the history of the airport as an important part of Berlin's aviation history, especially during the airlift from 1948 to 1949.
The architecture of the airport
Tempelhof is an outstanding example of 20th century aviation architecture. It was built on behalf of the Reich Aviation Ministry and was intended to function as a central European air hub. The architecture is strongly based on traditional and modern trends of the 1930s, which is visible in the use of reinforced concrete skeleton and shell limestone panels. Jurassic limestone was also used for the façade, which gives the landmark its unique character, as documented by the Berlin Monument Database.
The airport's ambitious construction includes, among other things, a 1.3 kilometer long gate, massive ceiling areas and an impressive reception area with numerous entrance doors and window axes. Even after it was closed to civil air traffic in 1975, Tempelhof remains an important landmark in Berlin's history that continues to attract new attention.