Berlin's Tempelhof airport, once the world's largest, closes tomorrow following 81 years of service that witnessed the Soviet blockade, the Cold War and the falling of the Berlin wall.

British architect Norman Foster calls Tempelhof "the mother of all airports". Tempelhof, built by the Nazis as a gateway to the capital of the Third Reich, opened in 1926. It still ranks as the largest building in western Europe.
The airfield played a pivotal role during the Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 11 May 1949) when it served as the Western Allies' gateway to Berlin as they airlifted in food and fuel to supply the city.

According to Bloomberg.com, a 1940s Douglas DC-3 and a Deutsche Lufthansa AG Junkers Ju- 52 of a similar age will be the last aircraft to take off from the airport shortly before midnight.
Photos:
flughafen tempelhof by fliegender via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Berlin Airlift by velodenz via Flickr (Creative Commons).
