Schönefeld


Schönefeld is a suburban municipality in the Dahme-Spreewald district, Brandenburg, Germany. It borders the southeastern districts of Berlin. The municipal area encompasses Berlin Schönefeld Airport.

Geography

It is located about southeast of the Berlin city centre, next to one of Berlin's two airports, Berlin Schönefeld, which is to be replaced in 2020 by Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The new airport is currently under construction and also to be located in Schönefeld, partly on land now occupied by the existing airport.
In the north, Schönefeld adjoins to the Berlin boroughs of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Neukölln, and Treptow-Köpenick with the localities of Lichtenrade, Gropiusstadt, Buckow, Rudow, Altglienicke, and Bohnsdorf. In the south, it borders Mittenwalde, in the west, Blankenfelde-Mahlow and in the east, Schulzendorf and Zeuthen.

Civil parishes

The Schönefeld municipal area comprises six districts, former municipalities in their own right which were incorporated in 2003:
The settlement of Kienberg, part of Waltersdorf, was cleared of residents to permit expansion of the Berlin Brandenburg Airport and is to be developed as a commercial area.

History and monuments

The first preserved mention of Schönefeld in the Mittelmark territory dates back to 1242. Sconenfelde, then a possession held by the Lords of Selchow, is documented in the 1375 Landbuch of Emperor Charles IV, when he also ruled as Elector of Brandenburg. The village church, rebuilt in 1904/05 according to plans designed by Franz Heinrich Schwechten, includes a large Baroque altar. Waltersdorf and Waßmannsdorf also have village churches dating to the first half of the 13th century.
From 1933 onwards the Henschel aircraft company moved from Johannisthal Air Field to Schönefeld and had three runways laid out next to the village. More than 14,000 warplanes were built at the site until 1945, when the premises were occupied by the Red Army. In the Großziethen cemetery is a memorial to 200 prisoners of war and forced laborers who died during World War II. The Soviet Air Forces used the air field from 1946, one year later the Soviet Military Administration ordered the buildup of a civil air service supplying East Berlin.
Before German reunification Schönefeld shared its borders partly with boroughs of former West Berlin, and so from 1961 to 1990 it was separated from it by the Berlin Wall.

Demography

Economy and infrastructure

Transport

The Airport-Center, an industrial area in Waltersdorf, and Berlin Schönefeld Airport are important sources of revenue for Schönefeld.
The head office of Private Wings is located in the General Aviation Terminal on the property of Schönefeld Airport. Before its disestablishment, the East German airline company Interflug had its head office on the grounds of the airport. Bremenfly also had its head office in Schönefeld.

Politics

Seats in the municipal council :
Schönefeld is twinned with Bayangol, a district of Ulaanbataar.,

Education

Primary schools in the municipality:
There is a private secondary school, Evangelische Schule Schönefeld.

Notable people