When a world-famous architect like Norman Foster (e.g. Reichstag cupola Berlin) pours his heart out declaring publicly his lack of understanding for the decision made by Berlin's politicians - a decision about the survival or demise of a former landmark, a decision against Berlin's history and against all those who grasped the fact that Berlin's roots were once again being torn out - then at least a summary of his thoughts deserves to be taken notice of: The architect calls Tempelhof ‘the mother of all airports’ - something that is inspired by the universal architectural power of a structure that, in his opinion, was one of the most pioneering in the world.

The sight of the space, which is defined by the imposing cantilevered roof spreading to the airfield and which appears to defy gravity, is, according to Forster, a rare emotional experience. 75 years after its erection, an amazing fact. At the time, it was celebrated as a structure for the turn of the century, and, unbelievably, it even surpassed this expectation.

Foster’s ‘mother’ image of Tempelhof was inspired by the ‘wow-factor’ of the place, as he puts it. And he has pointed out that some say that the airport’s ancestry lies in the unrealized ideal airport plans conceived in 1914 by Erich Mendelsohn. Prof. Ernst Sagebiel, the architect of Tempelhof Airport, worked for Mendelsohn from 1929 to 1932. Tempelhof’s dimensions are not bombastic, as so many Fascist monuments were. On the contrary, without fulfilling the Germania plans of Albert Speers, the facility was carefully integrated into the cityscape. When Soviet authorities blocked access to the Western sector on June 20, 1948, Tempelhof was the setting for the grandest feat in aviation history: the famous airlift was carried out until September 1949 with a string of aircraft that landed and took off every few seconds.

Tempelhof was Berlin’s lifeline, and a child of its times, a portrait of heroism and the tragedies of the 20th century. Forster emotionally remarks that the airport’s final tragic end and the ultimate affront perhaps have more to do with politics than with architecture. Tempelhof should, according to the architect, be a matter of national conscience. It is much too important to be sacrificed on the altar of commercial real estate development. And, in conclusion, Tempelhof is a museum in its own right.