Platz der Luftbrücke

The place of the air bridge is a Berlin transport hub on the border between the districts of Kreuzberg and Tempelhof. On the place of access to the former Tempelhof airport is located. The buildings around the square house especially public administration institutions, especially the police headquarters. Not far away is the Victoria Park a getaway. With the name of the place is reminiscent of the Berlin Airlift of 1948/1949.

Transport nodes

In the square, the Berlin North-South highway to the B96 ( Mehring Damm, Temple Damm ) intersects with the east-west connection from Neukölln ( Columbiadamm ) to Schöneberg ( Dudenstraße ). In the southwest of the square Manfred -von- Richthofen -Strasse leads to the local situation Neu- Tempelhof.

At the north end of the square of the metro station can accommodate the airlift of the underground line U6 connection to the high-speed traffic in Berlin. From 1926 to 1937, the station was called Kreuzberg. The access for passengers to the former airport is located on the square.

Buildings

On the east side of the square is the former terminal building of the airport, designed by architect Ernst Sage Biel and built in the same style administration building. These buildings already similar to those provided for in the plans of the Nazis as part of the fundamental restructuring of Berlin as the "World Capital Germania ". A monumental north-south axis was to be built about a mile west of where the airport space would have been connected.

The residential and commercial buildings in the southwest of the square were designed before the First World War by Bruno Möhring.

On the square in front of the airport complex is since 1951 the Airlift Memorial, which is also called " hunger claw" or " hunger rake " at the Berlin vernacular. There are two comparable counterparts: at Frankfurt Airport in Celle.

In the access area of ​​the former terminal building a statue is in the form of an eagle head. This is the original head of the 4.50 -meter-high eagle, originally from 1940 on the roof of the building was a visible distinguishing feature. Contrary extensive assumptions he had in his clutches no swastika (like the imperial eagle ) but a globe - analogous to the plans for the lantern on the dome of the Great Hall of the planned "World Capital Germania ". He had to give way in 1962 due to the installation of a new radar system and the museum in the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the American state of New York passed. The eagle, also designed by Sage Biel, was made ​​by the sculptor Walter E. Lemcke and repeated as a motif on the side buildings of the forecourt. From the statue is only this headboard available. It was brought back from the U.S. Air Force and since August, 1985 again presented as the Eagle Square to the Berliners.

Facilities at the site

At the place of the air bridge and in the immediate vicinity is established with the police department and the state police headquarters of the Berlin police. This includes the Police Historical Collection.

In today Columbia House said part of the building are offices of the German Weather Service (DWD ), the Federal Securities Administration ( BWpV ), the Main Customs Office Berlin ( HZA ), the Audit Office of the Federation ( PAB), the Water and Shipping Authority (WSA ), the waterway new Office ( WNA ) and the customs Investigation Office Berlin -Brandenburg ( ZFA ).

The central lost and found office is responsible for the whole of Berlin.