New life for Berlin Tempelhof Airport
Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport is now being used to house thousands of migrants.
Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport has recently become home to nearly 2,000 migrants. Tempelhof has an extraordinary history: it was built by the Nazis in the 1930s. It played a vital role in the Berlin Airlift in the 1940s. Throughout the Cold War the US military operated from there, alongside commercial flights. The airport closed in 2008 after a long political battle over its future. But now, Tempelhof is buzzing again as its empty aircraft hangars are turned into temporary accommodation for thousands of migrants. Matthew Bannister meets a 17-year-old Yazidi circus performer living in one of the hangars and the Syrian band who used music as their passport on their migrant journey through Europe.
Podcast
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Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary personal stories