Templin (Groß Dölln)

53°01'43"N 013°30'58"E

Runway 09/27 - 1000x30m/3231x98feet - concrete
Runway 09/27 - 3500x..m - concrete (CLOSED)
Runway 09/27 - 3500x..m - grass (emergency only)(CLOSED)
Runway 09/27 - 2600x45m - concrete (CLOSED)

Airfield Templin (german: Flugplatz Templin or Flugplatz Templin (Groß Dölln), ICAO: EDUT) was an air base 55 kilometers north of Berlin.
It was built as an air base between 1952 and 1954. At the time of its construction it was one of the most advanced in airfield design, with the living quarters distictly (and for Germany uniquely) seperated from the airfield operation. During its years as a Soviet/Russian airfield it was the largest military airfield in Europe.

The first users of the air base were Il-28 bombers, who stayed at the base from April until September 1955. In 1956 they were followed by the more permanent residents of 787 Fighter Regiment flying MiG-17/-19/-21 and Yak-25. The Regisment stayed at Tempin until 1970, when they were relieved by the 20th Guard Fighterbomber Regiment flying MiG-15/-17, Su-7/17 and L-29 trainer aircraft.
The 20th Guards were joined by helicopter units of the Soviet army flying Mi-2/-8/-9 and Mi-24 Hind helicopters. All these units remained at the air base until the withdrawal of Soviet/Russian forces in 1994.
Also at the base was a unit with a nuclear tasking, providing the resitent fighterbombers with nuclear weapons to bomb West Germany, along with similar units at Lärz, Brand, Finsterwalde and Großenhain . At irregular intervals Templin hosted short deployments of heavy bombers such as Tu-16, Tu-22 and Tu-22M, as well as transporters like An12 and An22. 787 Fighter Regiment stayed at Tempin again between 1985 and 1986, this time flying the MiG23 and MiG-25.


Russian Sukhoi air and ground crews posing with their aircraft at Templin-Groß Dölln in the mid 1980s (Source).

From 1971 the airfield served as the Soviet gateway to the DDR. Every year in May and November passenger aircraft of Aeroflot (Il-38/62/76 and Tu-104/114/154) flew into the airfield to bring new military personnel and their families. The Luftstreitkrafte (LSK) of the Nationale Volks Armee (NVA) brought their MiG-21s to the airfield for depot maintenance.
The airfield was expanded considerably in 1987/88, in part because it was intended to serve as an emergency runway for the Soviet Space Shuttle 'Buran'. Additionally it received 3 new flightlines for up to 24 aircraft, and a new large platform for upto 48 aircraft.
After the reunification of Germany the Russian Air Force left with their last transport aircraft in June 1994, returning the airfield to the German state.


Russian Sukhoi-17 taking off from Templin-Groß Dölln in 1994 (Source).


Groß Dölln in 2008 (Google Earth) 

Until 8 March 2012, the airfield served as a 'Sonderlandeplatz', a private special air field. In essence this meant it was open to aircraft up to 5,7t MTOW, glider aircraft and helicopters of any size. Additionally it was open to larger aircraft on non-airline missions with an unlimited MTOW, but only strictly PPR. It was also the home of Driving Center Groß Dölln GmbH.


Groß Dölln in April 2008, photographed by Magnus Emanulesson (via email).


Driving Center Groß Dölln built a race track on the east side of the airfield, sometime after 2008.


In September 2011, Siemens, one of Germany's largest electronics companies, began building a test track for alternative power sources for trucks, the Siemens eHighway. Between June and September 2012, a 128MW solar power plant was erected on the main runway. It was connected to the German power grid in April 2013.


Promotional video for the Siemens eHighway, shot at Templin.


Most of the former Soviet barracks were demolished, but some were left standing. Completely devoid of windows and doors, they now serve as homes for bat colonies. A solar panel can be seen on the left side of the photo (photo via email)


Siemens eHighway is located on the taxitrack of Templin. The solar panels can be seen on the left of the taxitrack (photo via email)