Airlift Memorial, Memorial monument at Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Germany
The Airlift Memorial is a monument of concrete and bronze at Platz der Luftbrücke in the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district of Berlin. Its three curved prongs rise roughly twenty meters into the air and spread about seven meters wide at the base, tapering as they climb.
Eduard Ludwig designed the monument to remember the airlift from 1948 to 1949, when Allied planes supplied West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. The dedication took place in July 1951, two years after the transport operation ended.
Local residents call this monument the Hungerharke, meaning hunger rake, because its three prongs resemble a farming tool and recall the hardships of the blockade. The nickname became part of everyday speech in this neighborhood and remains in use among older generations who remember the years of supply shortages.
The square sits right in front of the former Tempelhof Airport and is easy to reach from the Platz der Luftbrücke metro station. Information panels around the monument explain the blockade events and background in several languages.
Two identical monuments stand in Frankfurt am Main and in Celle, the main bases for the supply flights. Choosing these three cities recalls the logistics of the airlift and links them symbolically across the distance.
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