Tempelhof

Tempelhof is a locality (Ortsteil) of the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district, covering about 12.2 km². It borders Kreuzberg to the north, Neukölln and Britz to the east, Mariendorf to the south and Schöneberg and Steglitz to the west. About 63,000 people were registered here on 30 June 2026.

The name goes back to the Knights Templar, who settled here around 1200; the village church in the old core dates from the mid-thirteenth century. Tempelhof became part of Greater Berlin in 1920. The district office describes its character today as rather middle-class.

Its defining feature is the former Tempelhof Airport: the airport closed in 2008, and the airfield has been open to the public since 2010 as Tempelhofer Feld, a park of more than 300 hectares. The monumental terminal building now hosts events and markets, and the Airlift Memorial of 1951 stands in front of it. Other landmarks include the Ullsteinhaus, a 77-metre brick tower from 1926, the Tempelhofer Hafen, a former harbour on the Teltow Canal now converted into a shopping centre, and the ufaFabrik cultural centre in former film studios.

Tempelhof is residential, unhurried and practical, with Tempelhofer Damm (locally Te-Damm) as its main shopping street. On 30 June 2026 about 25% of residents held a non-German citizenship and about 19% were 65 or older, both close to the Berlin average.

Two parts are worth knowing:

• Neu-Tempelhof in the north, developed after 1910 on the western part of the old Tempelhofer Feld, including the Fliegerviertel garden-city development.
• Alt-Tempelhof, the historic village core around the old church and the Alter Park.

• U6 runs the length of Tempelhofer Damm: Platz der Luftbrücke, Paradestraße, Tempelhof, Alt-Tempelhof, Kaiserin-Augusta-Straße and Ullsteinstraße. Northbound it reaches Mehringdamm, Hallesches Tor, Friedrichstraße and Wedding without changing.
• S+U Tempelhof is a Ringbahn station (S41/S42), also served by S46 (towards Westend or Königs Wusterhausen) and S47 (towards Schöneweide and Spindlersfeld).
• S2 stops at Attilastraße in the south, north to Südkreuz, Potsdamer Platz and Friedrichstraße.

Buses run along the main roads; for most destinations in the centre, the U6 is the backbone.

Housing ranges from the garden-city housing of the Fliegerviertel to apartment buildings from the twentieth century along the main roads and in Alt-Tempelhof. With about 5,100 residents per km² (30 June 2026), Tempelhof is less than half as densely populated as neighbouring Schöneberg.

There is no official rent figure for Tempelhof alone. As a citywide anchor, the IBB Housing Market Report 2025 found a median asking rent of €15.78 per m² net cold for flats advertised in Berlin in 2025. Use the official rent index query (Mietspiegel 2026) to check what is legally usual for a specific address.

Children under 15 make up about 13% of residents, the Berlin average (30 June 2026). Families have exceptional outdoor space:

• Tempelhofer Feld (more than 300 hectares) with paths for cycling, skating and running, a basketball court, community gardens, sports and picnic areas. It has seasonal opening hours that roughly follow daylight; in June and July it is open from 6:00 to 22:30.
• Alter Park around the Klarensee pond, next to the village church.
• Lehnepark with the Wilhelmsteich pond, Franckepark with the Krummer Pfuhl and the Bosepark.

For childcare, search by address in the city's Kita-Navigator. Primary school places are normally allocated by registered address, as decided by the district school office.