Built by the Nazis, scene of the epic Berlin Airlift in 1948-49 and a contentious question mark in more recent times, the former Tempelhof Airport finally found it’s contemporary calling in May 2010 opening as a public park space. And at nearly four square kilometers, it holds the title of largest park in continental Europe—justifying its official motto, “Bewegungsfreiheit” (“freedom of movement”).

With the airport buildings fenced off and inaccessible (except for the odd festival here and there), Tempelhof has come into its own as the widest of wide-open spaces— complete with a designated grilling area, mini-football pitches and a couple of grounded aircrafts. In short, the perfect place to stow a bottle of wine and some grub in your bike basket and marvel at the sheer expanse around you as you search for the perfect picnic spot. And once you’ve found it, take some time to appreciate the 200,000 planes that dropped food and supplies onto the ground you now stand on, preserving the “Bewegungsfreiheit” of West Berliners until the Berlin Wall fell forty years later.