Living in Tempelhof, Berlin
A residential neighbourhood with a working-class soul and tidy Altbau, dominated by the vast open plain of Tempelhofer Feld, the former city airport.
Tempelhof is one of the most characterful districts of south-western Berlin: a mix of bourgeois Altbau, postwar blocks and cooperatives wrapped around the giant former airport that has become a public park. Historically working-class and later lower-middle-class, today it's one of the most balanced parts of the city — liveable, well-connected, still less gentrified than Neukölln or Kreuzberg.
Origin and character
Tempelhof takes its name from the medieval Templars. It is known worldwide for Tempelhof Airport (closed in 2008), the symbol of the 1948-49 Airlift when Allied planes supplied a blockaded West Berlin. Since Berliners voted against building on it, Tempelhofer Feld is Europe's largest open urban space (300 hectares). The district is home to long-standing German families, Turkish and Arab residents, and a new wave of younger arrivals.
What to expect
Tidy early-20th-century Altbau, 1960s-70s blocks, cooperative housing. Wide streets, orderly traffic, mature trees. Tempelhofer Damm is the main shopping street. Manfred-von-Richthofen-Straße has a southern-Kreuzberg flavour, with more alternative bars and restaurants. Near the Feld you'll find families with strollers, runners, people flying kites.
Transport
U6 (Platz der Luftbrücke, Paradestraße, Tempelhof, Alt-Tempelhof, Kaiserin-Augusta-Straße, Ullsteinstraße) is the main axis. S-Bahn S41/S42/S45/S46 at the Tempelhof hub (Ring). Alexanderplatz in 15-20 minutes. Excellent bike lanes around the Tempelhofer Feld.
What to do here
The Tempelhofer Feld is a one-of-a-kind experience: you can skate or cycle along the old runways, fly kite buggies in strong wind, join community gardens, picnic and join open-air concerts in summer. The former airport building offers guided tours of its 1930s architecture. Volkspark Hasenheide nearby adds another major green area.
Best fit for
Anyone after a tidy Altbau at gentler rents than the centre, lovers of vast open space at walking distance, families with children. Also a good pick if you work in nearby Schöneberg or Neukölln. Less suited if you want to walk to the big techno clubs or if you're after the touristy historic centre.