Colonel Andreas von Studnitz is the commander of the Julius Leber barracks and head of the military history collection "49 years of the French armed forces in Berlin 1945-1994" in the Berlin State Command. In this video, Colonel von Studnitz guides the viewer through the multi-faceted history of the former airship barracks in north-west Berlin. All users of the barracks have left their architecture. The barracks are very atypically built in a triangular shape with two ring roads as a "soldiers' town in the forest". The purpose behind this was that the development would not be noticeable from the air as a barracks and would rather resemble a regional village center. The air protection measures worked so well that in 1945 only three buildings were destroyed from the air. The rest, however, fell victim to artillery.
From 1896 to 1918 the area functioned as an airship barracks in Berlin-Reinickendorf.
From 1918 to 1937 the site was used by civil authorities.
In 1935 Hermann-Göring had the barracks designed and expanded as a "soldiers' town in the forest". He also renamed the property Hermann-Göring-Barracks. The barracks were severely damaged in the fighting around Berlin in 1945.
From 1945 to 1994 units of the French army were stationed here, responsible for securing the French sector of Berlin. The barracks were called Quartier Napoléon at this time.
In 1994 the property was handed over to the Bundeswehr. On January 5, 1995, it was given the name Julius-Leber-Barracks.
Additional images:
1) Photos from before 1994 courtesy of the military history collection "49 Years of French Armed Forces in Berlin 1945-1994", Landeskommando Berlin.
2) Artillery hits: Archive images ILÜ 10/2019
3) Interior of the church: Archive photos of the farewell to military bishop Dr. Sigurd Rink 07/2020
4) Troop flag on the headquarters building: Installation of the Berlin State Command 10/2020
5) Tegel Airport airfield: last take-off of TXL 11/2020