Berlin patients may face treatment in Nazi architecture

Berlin - Former head of the American cosmetics company Estée Lauder, Fred Langhammer, plans to build a top-tier clinic in Berlin. This was confirmed today by the Central European Development (CED) group, which Langhammer leads. For the project, they have chosen the world-famous pride of former Nazi monumental architecture, which is the terminal building of Tempelhof Airport near the center of the German metropolis.
    Today's German press originally reported that the clinic was to be established by Estée Lauder itself. Both the company and Langhammer clarified the information during the day.
    The German Ministry of Finance has acknowledged that the investor is considering utilizing the listed site after the existing operations at the airport are set to end in October 2007.
    Langhammer, who now also sits on the supervisory board of the media conglomerate Walt Disney, promises "first-class medical care for everyone." Initial reports only mentioned treatment for wealthy patients. “Basically, it will be care for legally insured patients,” CED stated.
    According to some reports, the landing area would also be used for the “arrival” of wealthy patients from around the world.
    “Tempelhof is a unique place in Europe,” said a CED spokesman. Such a facility located almost in the city center and also with air connections is currently, according to CED, "nowhere in the world." The project is said to be able to offer up to 1,000 jobs.
    The future of Tempelhof was reportedly also the subject of a meeting on Tuesday between the Berlin mayor and Chancellor Angela Merkel. While Mayor Klaus Wowereit wants to close the airport, the head of government insists on its further use. The three-and-a-half million metropolis does not have a large-capacity air harbor, which is still in the preparation stage in the southern part of the city, in the area of one of the existing airports, Schönefeld.
    Architecturally, Tempelhof is among the most distinctive remnants of Nazi representative construction. Adolf Hitler personally contributed to its monumental design, seeking to immortalize himself in this way. From 1947-48, when ground routes to the western part of the city were blocked by the Soviet occupying authority, Tempelhof, along with two other airports, served for continuous air supply to the western sector of Berlin.
    In the metropolis that, according to the dictator's plans, was to one day bear the name Germania, only a handful of Hitler's projects were ultimately realized; some of them, such as the Chancellery, did not survive the war.
    Besides Tempelhof, the former monumental ministry of Nazi aviation continues to serve the federal Ministry of Finance. However, the largest completed project was the stadium, where the 1936 Summer Olympics were held. This year, after a renovation, the Olympic Stadium experienced another grand event - the World Cup.