Description of the attraction
In the center of Berlin, in the Tiergarten park of the district of the same name, there is one of the ten best zoos in the world. It is the oldest zoo in Germany, with an area of 35 hectares, the number of animals varies from 14,000 to 17,000, and there are 1,500 species. There is an aquarium on the territory of the zoo, which displays amphibians, reptiles and fish, insects and invertebrates.
A bit of history
The zoo was opened in August 1844, when the country was ruled by Friedrich Wilhelm IV. The zoo began to flourish under the director, Heinrich Bodinus, who was appointed to this post in 1869. Under him, a corral for antelope was built, separate premises for elephants, flamingos and ostriches were brought. Food establishments and shopping areas were rapidly appearing on the territory of the zoo. The construction of the landmark of the zoo - the famous Elephant Gate ("Elephanttentor") - is also the merit of Bodinus.
The next head of the zoo, Ludwig Heck, who replaced Bodinus in 1888, was successfully engaged in increasing the fund of animals and created an excellent greenhouse. The aquarium designed by Dr. Oskar Heinroth was built in 1913 to study the behavior of animals from the same greenhouse. After the First World War, some of the buildings were dismantled.
The Second World War caused colossal damage to the zoo. Most of the buildings and enclosures were destroyed, out of more than 3,700 animals, only 91 survived. Katarina Heinroth led the menagerie in very difficult years - from 1945 to 1956. She succeeded in a lot - the hippopotamus enclosure, utility rooms were rebuilt, corrals were erected and repaired for antelopes and elephants.
In 1956, the restoration of the zoo was continued by Heinz-Georg Klös. Under his leadership, a zoological school was founded, animal sculptures were exhibited, new dwellings for bears and monkeys, aviaries for birds were erected. A separate room was allocated for night predators. The great merit of Klyos is the beginning of the breeding of endangered and rare species of animals.
1990 became the year of unification not only of the country, but also of two zoos - Tiergarten and Tierpark in West and East Berlin.
Zoo walk
One of the entrances, the Elephant Pagoda, as well as the House of the Giraffes and the House of Antelopes, have been preserved in their original form since the 19th century. Aviaries are more like palaces than animal cages.
The peculiarity of the Berlin Zoo is that animals are fenced off from visitors not by cages, but by moats, and the walls of the pools for hippos and fur seals are transparent and you can see what is happening. Where else can you see a hippopotamus dive? The special cold penguin enclosure is also transparent. Closed aviaries are designed for birds and tropical plants.
The zoo is proud of rare species of animals that have been bred in captivity - red pandas, kiwi, ocelot, snow leopard, elephants, polar bears and ring-tailed kangaroos.
The separate three-story building of the Aquarium accommodates not only fish. Komodo dragons, sharks, crocodiles and insects live there. The building of the aquarium was destroyed in November 1943 as a result of the bombing, and in 1952 a new one began to be built on the old foundation, but partially restored the previous interior.
The inhabitants of Berlin love the inhabitants of the zoo and with great joy and pride they receive the news about the replenishment of this or that animal family. The zoo has monuments to animals - the famous hippopotamus named Knuchka, who survived the war, and the white bear cub Knut, who was first born in the zoo, as well as figures of a lion, centaur, pelican, gorilla and others.
In the Berlin Zoo, it is customary to show visitors how and what monkeys are fed, and there is also an opportunity to observe the feeding of other animals.
On a note
- Location: Hardenbergplatz 8, Berlin
- Nearest underground stations: "Zoologischer Garten" lines U2, U9, U12, "Kurfürstendamm" lines U1 and U9.
- Official website:
- Opening hours: daily from March 20 to October 3 - 9.00-19.00, from October 4 to December 31 - 9.00-17.00.
- Tickets: adults - 13 euros (20 euros with an aquarium), students and schoolchildren over 15 years old - 10 euros (15 with an aquarium), children 5-15 years old - 6, 50 euros (10 euros with an aquarium).
