A broad field. Tempelhof airport and its history.

Date: 09/2018 – 11/2018

Location: ehemaliger Flughafen Tempelhof

Client: Stiftung Topografie des Terrors

Tempelhof Airport in Berlin illustrates the deep reciprocity of the history of a single place and the people linked to it. Truly a broad field, Tempelhof was the site of the first flight attempts in the late 19th century and became a strategically important hub during the Weimar Republic, but also bore witness to the chilling events during the National Socialist era. During World War II, military planes were produced and repaired on the airport site. Men and women from all over Europe were subjected to forced labour here. One of the first concentration camps was situated on the outskirts of the ground. This period is the focus of the exhibition, which also looks back on the site’s history and development, bringing it into the present day.

This place has a special cultural legacy: the legendary Raisin Bombers flew here, it was the “gateway to the free world” and is now known as “Tempelhofer Freiheit” (Tempelhof liberty). Taking a look at this place and its history together could bring Europe a little closer to Europeans again. The exhibition, developed by the Topography of Terror Foundation as part of the SHARING HERITAGE European Cultural Heritage Year 2018, attempts to help achieve this. Molitor carries this idea through into the design, graphics and implementation, aiming to do justice to the unique nature of the location.

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