ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the evolution, with a particular emphasis on heritage in its various forms. The relation between Tempelhof and heritage is complex and manifold, stretching from the classic themes of heritage care and management to particular stakeholder groups and their own understanding, interpretation and even instrumentalisation of heritage realms. The chronology of the site, later known as Tempelhof, dates back to the Middle Ages, with its name referring to the Order of the Temple. The strategic location of Tempelhof has thus been acknowledged for centuries and, seen with the benefit of hindsight, has been tested and confirmed during the Berlin Airlift, as well as during subsequent air traffic business. In spite of Berlin Senat’s unconvincing arguments for the discontinuation of air traffic at Tempelhof, the site was eventually closed down. The Tempelhof setting provides a strong corroboration of the notion of the flaneur and, at the same time, it exceeds it through its unique, almost outlandish quality.
