In the centre of Berlin, in the Tiergarten Park of the district of the same name, is one of the ten best zoos in the world. It is the oldest zoo in Germany, it covers 35 hectares, the number of animals ranges from 14,000 to 17,000, and there are 1,500 species. The zoo has an aquarium with amphibians, reptiles and fish, insects and invertebrates.
A little history
The zoo was opened in August 1844, when Friedrich Wilhelm IV ruled the country. The zoo began to flourish under director Heinrich Bodinus, who was appointed in 1869. He built an enclosure for antelopes, separate premises for elephants, flamingos and ostriches were brought in. Eating establishments and shopping areas were rapidly springing up on the zoo grounds. The construction of the zoo's landmark, the famous Elephant Gate ("Elephantentor"), is also a credit to Bodinus.
The next head of the zoo, Ludwig Heck, who succeeded Bodinus in 1888, was successfully engaged in increasing the stock of animals, created a beautiful greenhouse. An aquarium designed by Dr Oskar Heinroth was built in 1913 to study the behaviour of animals from that very greenhouse. After World War I, some of the buildings were dismantled.
World War II caused enormous damage to the zoo. Most of the buildings and enclosures were destroyed, and only 91 of the more than 3,700 animals survived. Katharina Heinroth managed the zoo during very difficult years - from 1945 to 1956. She managed to do a lot - the hippopotamus enclosure was rebuilt, the outbuildings were rebuilt, the enclosures for antelopes and elephants were built and repaired.
In 1956, Heinz-Georg Klös continued the restoration of the zoo. Under his leadership, a zoological school was founded, animal sculptures were exhibited, new dwellings for bears and monkeys and aviaries for birds were erected. For nocturnal predators a separate room was allocated. A great merit of Klös is the beginning of breeding of endangered and rare species of animals.
1990 was the year of unification not only of the country, but also of the two zoos, the Tierpark and Tierpark in West and East Berlin.
Walking around the zoo
One of the entrances, the Elephant Pagoda, as well as the Giraffe House and the Antelope House, have been preserved in their original form since the 19th century. The enclosures look more like palaces than animal cages.
The peculiarity of the Berlin Zoo is that the animals are separated from the visitors not by cages but by moats, and the walls of the pools for hippos and sea lions are transparent and you can see what is going on. Where else can you see a hippo dive? The special cold aviary for penguins is also transparent. The enclosed aviaries are for birds and tropical plants.
The zoo is proud of the rare species of animals that have been bred in captivity - these include red pandas, kiwi bird, ocelot, snow leopards, elephants, polar bears and ring-tailed kangaroos.
The separate three-storey Aquarium building houses more than just fish. It is home to Komodo dragons, sharks, crocodiles and insects. The aquarium building was destroyed in November 1943 by a bombing raid, and in 1952 they started to build a new building on the old foundations, but partially restored the former interior.
The inhabitants of Berlin love the inhabitants of the zoo and with great joy and pride take news about the addition of this or that animal family. In the zoo there are monuments to the animals - the famous hippo named Knuckle, who survived the war, and the polar bear cub Knut, who was born for the first time in zoo conditions, as well as figures of a lion, centaur, pelican, gorilla and others.
It is customary at the Berlin Zoo to show visitors how and what the monkeys are fed, and there is also an opportunity to observe the feeding of other animals.
On a side note
- Location: Hardenbergplatz 8, Berlin
- Nearest underground stations: "Zoologischer Garten" line U2, U9, U12, "Kurfürstendamm" line U1 and U9.
- Official website: http://www.zoo-berlin.de
- Opening hours: daily from 20 March to 3 October - 9.00-19.00, from 4 October to 31 December - 9.00-17.00.
- Tickets: adults - 13 euros (20 euros with aquarium), students and schoolchildren over 15 years old - 10 euros (15 with aquarium), children 5-15 years old - 6.50 euros (10 euros with aquarium).
