Historical Archive
When Tempelhof airport was closed in 2008, the Berlin Airport Company (BFG) was simultaneously relieved of its operating duties. When it moved out, it left behind an extensive building archive. In 2011, it was transferred to Tempelhof Projekt GmbH for the purpose of renovating and repairing the airport building.
The BFG was active at the airport site from its founding in 1924 until its closure in 2008. The archive holdings are characterized by a continuity that allows for an almost complete documentation of the construction activities on site. In view of a varied history, this cannot be taken for granted.
The BFG was founded by the Berlin Magistrate on May 19, 1924 and commissioned with the construction and operation of the so-called 'old airport'. The need to build a new airport building had been obvious since the early 1930s. The old reception building had reached the capacity limit in view of the continuing increase in passenger numbers, despite several extensions.
After the NS regime had recognized the propagandistic potential of the building project, the BFG had been removed from the planning of the new building. Its responsibility in the years 1933-1945 was limited solely to the predecessor building, which no longer exists. Nevertheless, this period is covered in today's archive because the BFG later transferred the construction documents of the New Building Management of the Reich Air Ministry (NBL) to its own archive.
During the U.S. occupation from 1945 to 1993, the BFG was briefly reduced to a business office. Due to good cooperation during the Airlift, however, it was given back at least partial responsibility, namely for the eastern, civilian part of the airport. With the dissolution of the US Air Base after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the construction documents of the United States Air Force (USAF) were also transferred to the BFG archives. Thus, the construction activities of this period are also fully documented.
In the future, the archive inventories will be successively indexed in terms of content, digitalized and the history of the site will be actively communicated. A visit to the archive is possible after prior registration. You can also use a workstation for your own archive research. Research requests can be sent to the address on the right.
