The Berlin Airlift at Tempelhof: an exhibition, a disappointment, a reminder
BERLIN — It’s not the first time I have bicycled to the former Tempelhof Airport, now a vast public park at “Platz der Luftbrücke,” literally Air Bridge Square. But this time I have not come here, to the top of a hill in the Kreuzberg neighborhood, to barbecue, exercise or walk a dog. Instead, I am here to visit a just-opened exhibition titled “Blocked Victors — Divided Berlin” that commemorates the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift, which provided a lifeline to a besieged West Berlin.
Exactly 75 years ago, during the early years of the Cold War, the Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to West Berlin, in an attempt to suffocate the western enclave in the city, which was surrounded by East Germany. But what the communist regime deemed to be impossible, the post-WWII western Allies succeeded in setting up: an airlift supplying the population of West Berlin with vital supplies for over a year. At its peak, a plane was landing every 30 seconds at Tempelhof Airport and even products such as cars were flown in. The planes barely touched ground before being sent back through East German airspace, a mere 30 minutes later.“Blocked Victors — Divided Berlin” is hosted by the Allied Museum of Berlin, Berlin-Karlshorst Museum, and the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr — the army of Federal Republic of Germany. It’s not big. It’s at a former parking lot. And while I was there, it wasn’t busy.
Considering that this exhibition honors 75 years since that crucial Allied air operation, it is underwhelming. Five detached walls make up the exhibition, each with some text blocks and pictures on it. There are a few buttons you can press to hear some audio fragments, but it doesn’t get any more interactive than that. Together with a lack of color, it makes it hard to imagine that the exhibition would interest a new generation in the historical significance of the Berlin Airlift.
Just a few decades ago, East Berliners enjoyed few of the freedoms they do today. There was limited freedom of speech, they had restricted travel rights, limited access to information and political participation, and citizens were monitored by their own government. As someone born this century, I find it near impossible to imagine what this would be like. During my life, I have been able to travel all over Europe, I have access to an infinite amount of information, and I feel safe expressing my political opinions.
Perhaps a link to the present could have added an extra dimension to the exhibition. But it feels like a missed opportunity, a place where young Berliners could have been reminded of things they take for granted today, such as freedom of speech, press, religion and the rule of law. Especially here, at this moment in time — the Ukraine-Russia battlefront is only a 15-hour drive away — young Berliners should be aware of the price that their parents and grandparents paid to live in a free society.
In 2023, I can freely write about the ugliness and mediocrity of this exhibition precisely because so many brave pilots put their lives on the line to defend their democratic way of life. Tempelhof Airport is a monument to this history and should never be forgotten.
Without pedaling, I roll down the Kreuzberg hill, away from the former airfield. No airplanes in sight, just a free Berlin.
Kamiel Vermeulen is a journalism student from the Netherlands who is in Berlin this summer as part of a team reporting for ieiMedia’s ‘Berlin Beyond Borders’ publication.
