The room of aviation

The pop-up exhibition on level U1 of Terminal 1 is deliberately staged in a space that exudes a certain raw charm: an industrial-functional atmosphere with hard, solid materials, purpose-built and, at the same time, unfinished and undecorated. Firstly, this reflects the popular impression of BER, and secondly, it is an essential characteristic of this social space: an airport is planned decades in advance, is never finished, is subject to constant change, and yet it is solid, durable and designed for long periods of time under the greatest demands.

Black and white photo of Tempelhof Airport. Propeller plane standing in hangar

The beginnings

A timeline that runs through the entire exhibition shows the important events in aviation history in Berlin-Brandenburg: from the first show flight of a gas-filled tethered balloon in 1788 to Otto Lilienthal’s flying attempts, the creation of Johannisthal Air Field in 1909 and the world’s first real passenger airport, Tempelhof, in 1923.

Aerial view of BER Airport. Roads in the foreground, Terminal 1 in the background

Significance for the city’s history

The east-west conflict is also addressed, which, in terms of aviation history, is much more than the competition between Tegel and Schönefeld or aircraft hijacking to Tempelhof. And finally, the significance of the airports in the city’s history must be examined, as these “rooms of aviation” not only have a considerable impact on the economy, tourism and transport, but also on urban development.

Aerial view of BER apron. Planes standing at Terminal 1.

BER at the centre

Literally at the center of the exhibition is the capital's airport Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt itself: It was a celebrity even before the first plane took off.

The fascination of flying

The exhibition’s design is based on typical airport elements such as pictograms, security scanners, duty free shops, usable and public areas or the classic “airport yellow” as a colour.