Templin/Groß Dölln Airfield

The primary reason for the closure was geopolitical. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, the 'Two Plus Four Agreement' stipulated the withdrawal of all Soviet military forces from German territory. Templin/Groß Dölln was a major Soviet Air Force base, and its military purpose ceased to exist with the end of the Cold War. The last Russian troops and aircraft departed in 1994, and the airfield was handed over to German authorities, effectively closing it as a military installation.

The former airfield has been repurposed for multiple commercial and recreational uses. The vast area is now home to:
1. **Solarpark Templin (Solarfeld Groß Dölln):** One of Europe's largest photovoltaic power plants. The solar farm covers a significant portion of the former airfield grounds, utilizing the large, open, and flat space to generate renewable energy.
2. **Driving Center Groß Dölln:** A major automotive testing and driver training facility. It uses the original runways and taxiways as a versatile track for vehicle testing, driver safety courses, corporate events, and motorsports.
3. **Special Landing Site (Sonderlandeplatz):** A small section of the airfield remains certified for limited aviation use as a 'Sonderlandeplatz' with the ICAO code EDUT. This allows for some private and recreational flying, but it is not a public airport and operates on a prior permission basis.
4. **Event Venue:** The site is frequently used for various events, including concerts, festivals, and as a filming location for movies and commercials due to its expansive, isolated, and unique post-industrial landscape.

Templin/Groß Dölln was one of the most important and largest military airfields in Europe during the Cold War. Built from 1954-1955 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) but operated exclusively by the Soviet Union, it served as a primary forward operating base for the 16th Air Army of the Soviet Air Force. Its main runway was exceptionally long at 3,780 meters (12,400 ft), capable of handling all types of Soviet aircraft, including heavy bombers and transport planes. The base was home to elite fighter regiments, most notably the 787th Fighter Aviation Regiment (787 IAP) and later the 19th Guards Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (19 GvAPIB). Over the decades, it hosted a succession of advanced Soviet aircraft, including the MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, Su-17, and, in its final years, the state-of-the-art MiG-29 'Fulcrum'. The airfield's vast complex included dozens of hardened aircraft shelters (HAS), extensive taxiways, and sophisticated command and control facilities, underscoring its strategic importance on the front line of the Warsaw Pact against NATO.

There are no credible or active plans to reopen Templin/Groß Dölln as a major commercial or cargo airport. In the 1990s, after its military closure, there were significant proposals to develop the site into a new major international airport for the Berlin region, often cited as a competitor to the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) project. However, these plans were ultimately rejected by regional and federal planners in favor of consolidating air traffic at the Schönefeld location (which became BER). The subsequent large-scale, long-term investments into the solar park and the driving center, which occupy critical infrastructure like the runways and surrounding land, make a future conversion back to a full-scale airport economically and logistically unfeasible.