Inside the incredible 122-year-old European airport once a ghost town but now has new life

An abandoned European airport has become a haven for locals who enjoy the wide open spaces for running, cycling, walking and hanging out. Tempelhofer Feld was built in Berlin back in 1923 as an airport and has had a checkered history, until the year 2008 when it was decommissioned as an airport. Now, it is a massive public park that is loved by Berliners and visitors alike. There are 386 hectares of open space on the grounds of the former airport as well as one of the world's largest buildings.

Today, the area has a six-kilometre cycling, skating and jogging trail, a 2.5-hectare BBQ area, a dog-walking field covering around four hectares and an enormous picnic area. Additionally, there are garden areas where locals grow a range of herbs, fruits and vegetables. Throughout the years, from the 19th-century to and beyond, the area was used for many military purposes. There is a lot of to learn here, from the small concentration camp that was built on the northern edge of the field to the period of Allied control during the Berlin Blockade.

In fact, there is an information trail around the old airport grounds with 20 places of remembrance and memorials. After the airport shut in 2008, it reopened as a park in 2010.

There have been multiple attempts to make new developments on the grounds, but they have been unsuccessful. A citizen action group called 100% Tempelhofer Feld was founded in 2011 to fight against planned developments and the organisation managed to organise a referendum to prevent future building on the site, winning by an impressive majority.

Due to the long stretches of old airport runway, this is an ideal place for , rollerskating and skateboarding. You will also likely see many a kite flown here on windy days as the wide open space provides ideal conditions for that.

There are 10 entrances to the park in total, six of which are located at the eastern end of the former runways along Oderstraße. While the runways provide a great spot for people to practice their hobbies, there are also designated areas where pets can run freely.

Opening hours for the park change depending on the time of the year but generally, the park opens between sunrise and sunset. Between April and October there is a garden where visitors can enjoy food and drink while barbecues are permitted in designated areas all year round. There are also a number of cafes and small snack bars dotted around the park.

Events also take place here regularly and visitors might comes across things like kite festivals, sports events, theatre performances, guided tours and urban ecology lessons.

is a cool city with many alternative cultural experiences. But what did visitors think of Tempelhofer Feld, the former Berlin airport?

One Tripadvisor reviewer said: "The airfield is an excellent place for recreation activities, all year around. And the small historical exhibition on the front of the main entrance uncovers the history of air bridge created during Berlin Blockade by the soviets."

Another wrote: "Very large, quiet place and where you can have a good time. Unmissable if you want to take the pulse of Berlin during the day."

A third commented: "Visiting Tempelhofer Feld was a unique and refreshing experience during our time in Berlin. This former airport turned public park is unlike any other place I've been to. The sheer size of it is astounding-it's one of the largest urban open spaces in the world, and you really feel that sense of openness as soon as you step onto the tarmac."