Berlin Zoo

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Berlin Zoo
Logo Tierpark Berlin.jpg
Full name Berlin-Friedrichsfelde Zoo
place Am Tierpark 125
10319 Berlin
surface 160 hectares
opening 2nd July 1955
Animal species 656
(December 31, 2018)
Individuals 7979 animals
(December 31, 2018)
Visitor numbers 1.5 million (2018)
organization
management Andreas Knieriem
Sponsorship Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde Limited Liability Company (HRB 37768)
Funding organizations Association of the sponsors of Tierpark Berlin and Zoological Garden Berlin e. V.
Member of WAZA , EAZA , VdZ
Site plan Tierpark Berlin.jpg

Site plan in the showcase in front of the entrance to the castle

www.tierpark-berlin.de
Tierpark Berlin (Berlin)
Berlin Zoo

Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 1 ″  N , 13 ° 31 ′ 57 ″  E

The Tierpark Berlin is one of the two zoological gardens in Berlin . It was opened in 1955, is located in the Berlin district of Friedrichsfelde , is the largest landscape animal park in Europe with an area of ​​160  hectares and also includes gardens. Its population includes 7979 animals from 656 species. The zoo enjoys special recognition for breeding African elephants . The zoo is run by Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde GmbH , whose partner is Zoologischer Garten Berlin AG .

history

Reforestation of the Friedrichsfelde Palace Park into a zoo

Plan sketch, 1955

The Tierpark Berlin was created due to the division of Germany after the Second World War . The Berlin Zoological Garden was located in the British sector of Berlin , so East Berlin lacked its own zoo. The Schlosspark Friedrichsfelde was chosen as a suitable area because it was no longer maintained after the expropriation of its owners.

As a founding date of the zoo Berlin the decision of the true East Berlin magistrate of 27 August 1954. After the symbolic foundation stone was laid on 30 November 1954, the zoo in the spring 1955 by reconstruction workers of was national integration in Berlin and the surrounding area prepared from the Friedrichsfelder park.

The first zoo animals moved in from 1955 under the first director Heinrich Dathe

Opening of the zoo by Wilhelm Pieck and Friedrich Ebert ; in between in the background Heinrich Dathe , far left Karin Rohn

When the zoo was opened by the East Berlin mayor Friedrich Ebert and the President of the GDR , Wilhelm Pieck , on July 2, 1955, around 400 animals of 120 species could be viewed.

The initial animal population consisted of some purchases, mainly through donations from the population and from companies in the GDR. Animal donations were received from zoos in both parts of Germany and abroad. Thus came Tiger from Moscow , Maralhirsche from Leningrad , bison from the Zoo Munich Hellabrunn and two Asian elephants in the still partially temporary accommodation. In the following years the zoo was continuously expanded, and new animal facilities were built almost every year. The rock formations for bears and large open-view enclosures made the start. In those early years, the character of the zoo was shaped as a spacious park with zoological standards. In the course of its history, the animal population in the zoo has reached up to 10,000 creatures with over 1,000 species. The area of ​​the zoo has been continuously expanded from 60 hectares in the beginning  to 160 hectares today.

Heinrich Dathe already took over the management of the zoo during the development phase , which he held until his retirement after his 80th birthday in 1990.

Some facilities of the zoo

The historical part of the zoo is determined by Friedrichsfelde Palace and its gardens. The landscape park redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné in 1821 served as the basis for the development of the zoo; it was largely preserved and adapted to the conditions of a zoological park, because the Berlin zoo is primarily a park . Broad avenues, forests that are as natural as possible and spacious animal enclosures, which are often only separated from the visitor by moats, characterize the old part of the zoo in particular. Ponds and meadows expand the park. Historical plans were used as a template for the restoration of the baroque park at the palace. In particular, the moats and the associated animal husbandry options attracted particular interest in the further expansion.

Friedrichsfelde Castle in the zoo

Friedrichsfelde Palace in July 1955
Friedrichsfelde Palace in December 2015

The castle was built in 1695 as Rosenfelde Castle by order of the Brandenburg Navy Director Benjamin Raule . It changed hands several times, who had it rebuilt and refurbished according to their requirements. After the Second World War , the castle stood empty for years, neglected and has since been used as a training center. Only with the development of the area for the zoo was a new use for the ailing building as a stable. In the further development it should actually be completely demolished; However, it was decided to carry out a first thorough renovation, which began in 1970. The richly carved stairs and the stuccoed ballroom from 1785 have been preserved from the original interior . Due to a lack of original furniture, the rooms were furnished with furnishings from other castles and manor houses . The castle was reopened to visitors for the first time in 1981. It is used at regular intervals for concerts and other events. In the 1980s the castle served as a backdrop for television in the GDR and DEFA .

Treskow hereditary burial and a memorial on the zoo grounds

The hereditary burial site of the von Treskow-Friedrichsfelde family near the Bärenschlucht and the polar bear enclosure was also integrated into the zoo design . The family cemetery was laid out in 1821 by Carl von Treskow . It has a floor area of ​​96 m² and is separated from the visitor area of ​​the zoo by a metal fence.

Also in the south of the site, near the seagull dome, opposite the aviaries for eagle owls , a memorial stone has been set up for the prisoners and victims of the Wuhlheide labor education camp , which the Secret State Police operated from 1940 to 1945. The administration building of the zoo was built directly in the former storage area.

The zoo receives additional buildings and facilities

In 1958 the farm yard of the zoo was expanded. In August of the same year, the traveling exhibition of the panda bear Chi Chi was a guest. The boiler house was commissioned in 1961. With the opening of the predator house named after Alfred Brehm and the cafeteria in 1963, the topography of the zoo was largely determined for a long time. With the construction of the pachyderm house, which was completed in 1989, and the development of further zoo areas for visitors from the mid-1990s, the site plan was fundamentally revised.

The administration building was completed in 1969. In 1973 the zoo was connected to the underground line E, now the U5. In 1974 the Karl Foerster Garden in the zoo was opened, laid out according to the principles of the namesake Karl Foerster . Two years later, the former entrance to the palace gardens became the new main entrance instead of the temporary entrance at the bear shop window. The restored Friedrichsfelde Palace reopened in 1981. In 1986 the new terrace café was opened by Gerd Pieper , who is now the venue for the annual Whitsun concerts. In 1989 the pachyderm house was opened.

State awards

The management of the zoo under Heinrich Dathe later received the Karl Marx Order and the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver for their educational work and commitment .

The zoo after 1990: new legal form and new director

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, the 80-year-old director of the zoo, Heinrich Dathe, had to relinquish management, as the unification agreement did not allow public sector employees who were already over 60 to be taken on. At that time it was discussed whether Berlin needed two zoological gardens or whether the zoo should be closed. With the appointment of zoologist Bernhard Blaszkiewitz as the new director, the discussion came to a standstill in 1991. The legal form of the zoo was changed from a corporation to Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde GmbH . The cooperation with the Berlin Zoological Garden, which had existed since 1844, was increasingly intensified.

In 1994 the zoo showed two Queensland koalas for a few weeks for the first time in Germany : Dinki-Di and Gidgee were housed in a showcase in the Alfred Brehm House during their guest stay.

From the mid-1990s, the zoo was expanded with new animal facilities and the infrastructure was expanded.

On July 1, 2006, Blaszkiewitz, still managing director and director, was appointed "another full board member" of the Berlin Zoological Garden. Since January 31, 2007, he was in personal union also director of the Zoo of Berlin after the current incumbent Jürgen Lange had gone into retirement. Since April 2014 Andreas Knieriem has been director of both the zoological garden and the Berlin zoo. On April 1, 2015, the first plans to redesign the zoo were presented. These include the redesign of the Alfred Brehm House and the entrance to the Bärenschaufenster. In addition, a new orientation concept is to be created. The redesigned Alfred Brehm House was reopened in July 2020.

Animal facilities

Baribal in the bear shop window before the renovation in 2006

Bears and other wild animals

There are three large rock bear enclosures in the zoo, which were also one of the largest construction projects from the zoo's early years. The upstream bear shop window directly on the Am Tierpark street was opened in 1958 and renovated in 2007. The facility is now home to American black bears , also known as baribals. The year before, the bear gorge and the polar bear enclosure were completed. Spectacled bears are shown in the Bear Gorge today . The bridge over the gorge was dismantled in the 1990s after being closed to visitors for years. For the granite rocks of the polar bear enclosure, stones from the old Berlin Reichsbank building were used. The polar bear swimming pool holds 2000 m³ of water. The side waterfall is also in operation in winter.

The facility for sun bears is located near the entrance at Schloss Friedrichsfelde . For them, the former home was for apes equipped with outdoor cages.

In 1996, not far from the polar bear enclosure, an outdoor enclosure was created in which forest bison were kept for years ; today, Caucasus zebus can be seen there.

Children's animal zoo, reindeer and small cats

Seagull flight facility, October 1984

One path in this very wooded section of the park leads to the children's animal zoo, including a petting zoo and playground, while another leads past the pig monkey facility and the seagull flying facility, which opened in 1984, to the animal enclosures.

The animal children's zoo primarily presents animals with the aim of teaching children how to become pets. In addition to sheep and goats , different breeds of pigs are shown: z. B. the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and the Chinese masked pig. The children's animal zoo is complemented by a petting zoo, rodents and birds.

As a supplement to the animal park's pet stocks, there is an enclosure for the reindeer pet form near the Alfred Brehm House . South African caracals , Malay civets and zebra mongooses are kept in the vicinity of the small cat facility . Other outdoor facilities near the Brehmhaus are two penguin facilities.

Alfred Brehm House: Plants and Animals

Alfred Brehm House after the renovation in 2020
Tropical hall in the Alfred Brehm House in July 2014 after the energetic renovation

The Alfred-Brehm-Haus was opened at the same time as the cafeteria, which was then in the middle of the park, in 1963 and covers an area of ​​5300 m². The tropical hall in the center of the house with a floor area of ​​1100 m² is up to 16 meters high and houses tropical plants such as rubber trees , bamboo , coffee bushes and palm trees as well as tropical birds and giant Indian bats . As a special feature, the predator house has two large rock structures inside. In addition, the two wings of the building delimit two smaller rock open spaces. Showcases for rare tropical birds have been set up throughout the house between the various inner cages for big cats . The listed building is named after the zoologist Alfred Brehm . In 1996/1997 the outer cages at the Alfred Brehm House were expanded. The regulations of the monument protection, however, set tight limits to the expansion efforts, so the rows of cages on the outside had to be preserved, thus the merging of several cages was excluded, and thus 14 individual cages had to remain. Therefore, the enclosures for the big cats are very cramped. The only alternative was to create additional outdoor facilities near the Alfred Brehm House.

The Alfred-Brehm-Haus had been closed for extensive renovation since 2018 and was reopened in July 2020.

Big cat outdoor enclosures and bird aviaries

Siberian tiger on an outdoor enclosure at the Alfred Brehm House

A 1000 m² outdoor enclosure is reserved for cheetahs . It was set up in the spring of 2000 on the eastern rear of the Alfred Brehm House. On the neighboring area, a 60 meter long and nine feet high was there already in 1965 raptor - aviary inaugurated with a maximum width of 33 meters. In addition, a 220 m² outdoor facility for snow leopards has been attached since 1998 . Further aviaries for eagle owls, owls and other birds of prey as well as for many other bird species can be found at various locations in the zoo.

Pachyderm house

At the pachyderm house

The pachyderm house, also called the elephant house after its largest residents , was opened in 1989. Tierpark Berlin is the only zoo in Germany to keep a breeding group of Asian and African elephants . Around the pachyderm house with an area of ​​6000 m² there are two outdoor facilities (bull and herd enclosures) for both elephant species. Two other outdoor areas are reserved for rhinos. In 1999, Matibi ♀, the African elephant calf, was the first elephant to be born alive in Berlin Zoo.

Besides the elephants are in the pachyderm house, among other rhinos kept. The white rhinoceros bull Mtandane, who died in 2008, also lived there. In the middle of the pachyderm house there has been an approximately 200,000 liter water basin for manatees since 1994 . The pool opens up to the visitor on the one hand as an aquarium-like system when he sees the African elephants behind him through a two-part, five-meter long viewing window, or as a pond system when he looks a little higher at the pool framed by various tropical plants. Furthermore Tamanduas , short-billed echidna and various marmoset species housed in the pachyderm house.

Giraffe house and neighboring facilities

Coming out of the pachyderm house, one reaches the 7400 m² large open space of the giraffe house. The provisional building from 1960 in the same place had to serve as an animal home for longer than originally planned. The new building was opened in 1995 and occupied with more zoo animals from Africa. In terms of content, the giraffe house is thus an Africanum complex in which the fauna of Africa is shown. The way to the house leads past the Variwäldchen, which is home to the eponymous varis , semi-monkeys from Madagascar. The first section of the Africanum, reserved for zebras and wild asses , was inaugurated in 1996. In the following year the second construction phase was completed with the facilities for the desert antelopes and in 1998 the third construction phase with the outdoor enclosures for the red and cape buffalo . The enclosure for the South African blue-necked ostrich, opened in 2003, is embedded in the area of ​​the Africanum .

Monkey house

In 2000, the fourth and final construction phase of the zoo was completed with the opening of the monkey house. The monkey house is surrounded by outdoor enclosures for monkeys , redheads and dscheladas . The African animal world opens up across the zoo like an axis. The temple complex for monkeys located on this axis near the giraffe house, which was reserved for Japanese macaques until 2003 , was therefore also occupied by Barbary monkeys . The Japanese macaques moved into a new domicile near the Karl Foerster Garden.

Open rock enclosure for mountain animals

Rock outdoor enclosure for Altai lynxes

On the planted, up to 67 meter high rubble mountain of Friedrichsfelde, which in the first post-war years on today's Bundesstrasse 1 was a collection point for eight million tons of building rubble and which is now part of the zoo's industrial area, the first part of the mountain animal enclosures was built in 2002 whose Asian representatives are reserved. Ungulates such as blue sheep , circular horn sheep and white-lipped deer are represented there as well as giant sea eagles , hawk owls and Altai lynxes . The eight hectare area of ​​the rubble mountain, along with another eight hectares, was closed by the Ministry of State Security during the GDR era because the neighboring district administration and four district offices did not want to be looked into the windows from there. Ornate screens made of concrete still stand behind the monkey house.

In 2004 the second section was opened for the European mountain animals. Here you can see Alpine ibex , European mouflon , chamois and elk , among others . A large enclosure is reserved for wolverines . Bearded vultures , snowy owls and wild cats are further representatives in this section of the zoo. An aviary for ravens marks the highest point of the zoo . The hilly topography of the extensive mountain animal enclosures forms another facet of the zoo as a landscape park.

More wildlife enclosures

Flamingos and camels

From the mountain animal facilities, the monkey house over direction cafeteria equipment for Mishmi- are takins , Goldtakine, water buffalo and other Asian ungulates to find. The cafeteria, opened in 1963, houses smaller aquariums with mostly tropical fish. The largest aquarium in the cafeteria holds 25,000 liters and is stocked with tropical marine fish.

From the cafeteria towards the children's playground, almost parallel to the Africanum axis, the facilities for Bennett kangaroos , yellow-footed rock kangaroos , western gray kangaroos and wolves open up . Opposite are large open-air meadows for llamas , alpacas , trample and dromedaries . The flamingo lagoon , which was completed in 1964, is located on the trampoline meadow. Not far from the facility for the wolves up to the pachyderm house are facilities for hyenas , bucket dogs , bobcats and red dogs .

From the cafeteria in the direction of Schloss Friedrichsfelde, the visitor passes the Katta Island and the gibbon outdoor enclosure built in 1969 , on which white-handed gibbons are displayed. The Karl Foerster Garden and the Japanese macaque facility are located near the ring-tailed lemur. There are extensive park paths and overgrown niches towards the castle, which are illustrated by the pheasantry and the parrot foliage.

Crocodile house

Mississippi alligator in the crocodile house

Not far from the castle and the entrance to the zoo there is the crocodile house, which opened in 1987, and is a tropical house for crocodiles and turtles . The enclosures are at the feet of the visitors who walk across fixed bridges through the house, which is furnished with tropical plants. The crocodile house displays turtles, free-flying birds ( tangerines , pipras, and purrbirds ), green iguanas, and some species of crocodile such as the Mississippi alligator and Sunda gavial . There were also hummingbirds in it in the late 1980s to early 1990s .

More reptiles

Hibernation house for giant tortoises

Immediately next to the crocodile house is the snake farm, originally opened in 1956. In the early 1990s, the dilapidated building was supposed to be closed and the animal populations were to be relocated to other zoos. After violent protests and financial support from the population, stimulated and represented by the community of sponsors of the zoo, the snake farm was renovated and today shows a collection of selected poisonous snakes . In front of the snake farm are some outdoor enclosures for turtles , including the greenhouse-style winter shelter for giant turtles.

The snake farm was closed in September 2017 due to the poor condition of the building. Some of the animals have moved.

Deer, wild boar and bison in the zoo

On the axis of the two entrances, visually highlighted by the castle on one side and the terrace café on the other, are the heavily wooded areas for various species of deer and wild boar in the oldest part of the zoo. The park character is particularly emphasized here by the avenue-like path structure. Like everywhere else in the zoo, the moats are filled with ducks and free-range pelicans . Large open-air meadows for bison and bison follow the main entrance . Since 2010, in consultation with the Berlin Zoo, where prairie bones are kept, the zoo has only kept forest bison.

plants

In keeping with the character of the landscape park , the zoo offers a habitat for numerous plant species. In the spring, numerous winterlings , snowdrops , crocuses and other early bloomers bloom .

In summer, the Karl Foerster Garden, which is filled with perennial plants, is an eye-catcher between the Japanese macaque area and the ring-tailed lemur. This small complex was designed in honor of the garden architect Karl Foerster , who died in 1970 , and opened in 1974. Unlike in other parts of the zoo, it is very densely planted, and in comparison to the two palace gardens, which are in the immediate vicinity, or to the pond near the monkey house, visitors are presented with different approaches to garden design. The zoo emphasizes its claim as a landscape zoo through the different plant landscapes and their design in interaction with the mostly spacious animal facilities.

rhododendron

More than 8500 trees in over 60 species (for example maple , Himalayan birch , pine , pedunculate oak and hackberry ) grow in the Berlin zoo, including four natural monuments : a pedunculate oak on the bison area, another on the south part of the palace garden, and a copper beech on its eastern edge and a maple-leaved plane tree in front of the park entrance to the castle (see also: List of natural monuments in the Lichtenberg district ) . Around 20 large buckets with palm trees and agaves are located at the Alfred Brehm House along the visitor paths in the summer months.

Botanical rarities such as the giant horsetail can be found among the various plant species on the 160 hectare zoo area . Rare plants such as Jacobin , panicle-flowering lotus shrub (Clerodendrum paniculatum) and yellow thick ear (Pachystachys lutea) can also be found in animal houses.

Hedge-like plantings, for example with rhododendron bushes on the main path from the castle to the terrace café, support the alley character and shape the botanical image of this section of the zoo.

A landscape gardening claim of the zoo is the coordination of the flora and fauna with each other, so the part for the Asian mountain animals was mainly planted with Asian plant species.

Art on the zoo grounds

Panther - bronze by Erich Oehme at the former location at the animal park entrance Bärenschaufenster

In the park there are more than 100 sculptures , fountains and other works of art (such as mosaics ). As Heinrich Dathe explained in The artistic adornment of the zoo , the zoo should be developed into "society, which also [...] included art, especially the visual, in the structural concept."

Putto sanguine , copy after Johann Gottfried Knöffler , behind the castle

Particularly striking are the works of the sculptor Walter Lerche , which include the four groups of figures boy with ram , boy on donkey , girl with chimpanzee , teenager with pelican  - on the south ground floor of the castle - and the similar group of figures children with water-spouting fish  - at the former paddling pool at the children's playground - belong. These sculptures were erected in the mid-1960s. From the beginnings of the zoo there are sandstone sculptures at the castle, of which Adam and Eve also come from Walter Lerche. The sculptor is represented with other works in the zoo. His pair of sandstone ducks , which were destroyed, can no longer be seen .

Destroyed terracotta signpost Heron by Klaus Tilke

Unlike in museums, many works of art in the zoo are touched and climbed by visitors. This also leads to accidents and damage to the figures, some of which cannot be restored. In addition to the pair of ducks , the losses incurred include works by Rudolf Enderlein , Johann Heidrich and Kuno von Uechtritz. As a result, all three artists are no longer represented in the zoo. Three of the four terracotta signposts from the 1950s by Klaus Tilke were also destroyed . Only the wild boar still shows the way today. Klaus Tilke is represented with four other sculptures. He also made the bronze tarsiers on the handrails of the railing to the terrace of the Alfred Brehm House. During renovation work in 1987, however, these disappeared and were replaced by similar figures by the sculptor Margit Schötschel-Gabriel . One of the much climbed works that could be restored is Willi Ernst Schade's pair of foals , which have been in the zoo since it opened.

Tiger by Philipp Harth in front of the zoo entrance at the castle

A particularly dynamic figure is the donkey foal by Hans Steffen from 1963. Another animal sculpture is the climbing frame with fairytale animal figures on the playground, which was designed by the sculptor Walter Sutkowski , of whom other works are exhibited in the zoo.

The educational ambition of the zoo is shown, among other things, in the life-size sculptures of Roaring Giant Deer and Saber-toothed Tiger , both designed by Erich Oehme and confronting the visitor with extinct representatives of the animal kingdom. Another bronze figure by the same artist, the panther stood for years in front of the zoo near the main entrance. At the end of 2007 he was moved in front of the Alfred Brehm House, where the big cats are kept.

The four lion statues in front of the Alfred Brehm House are among the best-known sculptures. These originate from the Kaiser Wilhelm National Monument, which was removed down to the base in 1950, and were created by August Gaul and August Kraus . The model for the lion figures was a lion from the area of ​​the Transvaal Republic in southern Africa , which was kept in the Berlin Zoological Garden .

The lion sculptures in the zoo by the Kaiser Wilhelm monument
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-C0103-0004-001, Berlin, Tierpark Friedrichsfeld, installation Löwen.jpg
Installation of the figures in January 1964 in the zoo
KaiserWilhelmLoewen1.JPG
Lion on the left of August Kraus (roaring); Lion to the right of August Gaul (resting)
KaiserWilhelmLoewen2.JPG
Lion to the left of August Kraus (hissing); Lion to the right of August Gaul (lurking)


The marble statue Sprea by Jeremias Christensen , which originally stood in the Red City Hall and was dismantled during the reconstruction of the war-torn building, was also not created for the zoo, but has been erected there since it opened in 1955 . In a similar way came in 1959, the bronze bear of Georg Wrba from the Bears Hall of the Old City Berlin House of the zoo. In 2001 the sculpture was restored and put back in the town hall. The zoo received a copy that takes the old place at the children's playground.

Bison bull - bronze by Dietrich Rohde at the entrance to the business section of the zoo

An artistic peculiarity results from three sculptures by Stephan Horota : Fox (1966), group of giraffes (1995) and Indian rhinoceros (2005). Since these originate from different creative periods, the artistic development can be recognized even though the zoo is spatially separated. The same applies to other artists, such as Dietrich Rohde , who is represented with three works, or Otto Maerker , whose four works all come from the same creative phase, but are very different: Nude figure standing (1961), Alfred Brehm bust (1962) , Fountain figure sea ​​lion on ball (before 1967) and the sculpture Marabu (1968).

Another group of artistic jewelry is made up of busts of well-known zoologists and garden architects. Senta Baldamus is most frequently represented here with the busts of Peter Joseph Lenné , Karl Foerster , Charles Darwin and Carl von Linné . She also made two other works in the zoo, including the fountain figures on the Lenné hill. Further busts show Alfred Brehm and Heinrich Dathe. The latter is the work of the sculptor Heinz Spilker, who also made comparable works for the Berlin Zoological Garden.

In addition, there are several mostly female nudes in the zoo, among others by the sculptors Senta Baldamus, Otto Maerker, Dietrich Rhode, Hans Kies , Fritz Klimsch , Robert Metzkes and Margit Schötschel, as well as mosaic works such as The History of the Evolution of the Proboscis by Ortraud Lerch in the Elephant House and the site plan of the zoo at the Bärenschaufenster exit from 1976 by Ursula Stieff.

The artistic image of the zoo also includes several fountains . In addition to the figures of children with water-spouting fish by Walter Lerche, sea lions on a ball by Otto Maerker and the fountain figures on the Lennéhügel by Senta Baldamus, there are the crocodile fountain in the Alfred Brehm house by Gerhard Hurte , the seagull fountain by Dietrich Rohde and the jumping pike by Walter Sutkowski.

There are also works by Eduard-Gerhard Clauß , Erwin Damerow , Johannes Darsow , Heinrich Drake , Max Esser , Philipp Harth , Gottfried Kohl , Walter Preik , Werner Richter , Gerhard Rommel , Kurt Schwarz , Gerhard Thieme .

Conservation and other projects

The understanding of how to keep zoo animals has changed fundamentally since the end of the 20th century. Before that, it seemed important to show the largest possible collection of beautiful and rare animals. Today the zoological gardens show a different self-image, among other things as a place of relaxation, the gathering of knowledge and the basis for successful breeding. Animal enclosures were therefore mostly made larger than before, and where this was not possible, the animal population was reduced.

Like other zoos, Tierpark Berlin actively participates in nature conservation and reintroduction projects . Bearded vultures , Mhorr's gazelles , oryx antelopes , Przewalski's horses and wild cats , among others , were released from the zoo's breeding program. The Tierpark Berlin is particularly connected to the Lower Oder Valley National Park , which regularly receives donations from two WWF donation boxes (in the Alfred Brehm House and in the Elephant House).

On the basis of a worldwide cooperation, Tierpark Berlin keeps four international stud books for endangered animal species:

The Berlin zoo also participates in the European conservation breeding program .

Zoo school and youth club

The zoo school, founded in 1965, is the venue for courses in biology classes and also supports individual projects. The premises are also used for the zoo youth club . This youth recreational facility was created in the 1960s to introduce children and young people to nature and environmental protection. Students' membership in the youth club was free. Six permanently employed educators led the working groups. Later, former participants took over the leadership of such groups themselves. The number of working groups rose to 30 by the mid-1980s and the total number of participants to around 400 children and young people. They dealt with individual subject areas such as entomology , field herpetology , ornithology , botany or even animal drawing. Konrad Banz was an important support for the teaching activity . He largely organized excursions and trips, which were highlights for the young participants and where they learned to apply the knowledge they had acquired in practice. These young people occasionally presented their research results in exhibitions in the Alfred Brehm House. Such extensive and practical educational work is and has not existed in any other zoological institution. Many young people at the time were shaped by their experiences in the youth club, and some of them even worked in scientific or biological professions.

Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde GmbH, founded in 1991, continued this tradition under the name Jugendclub Tierpark Berlin after the restructuring measures . In the meantime, three working groups have been maintained by volunteer supervisors. In order to meet the educational requirements of the zoo in the future, more than a dozen employees were hired for the zoo school in 2016 , each of whom had biological and ecological expertise. In addition, many of them had a pedagogical training. In 2017, the Senate Department for Education made it possible for the zoo school to be reinforced by three teachers. In addition to guided tours for children and adults, the zoo school also organizes project weeks for schools, further training for teachers, holiday programs and visits to favorite animals. In terms of content, the focus is on environmental and species protection. The youth club was also restructured in 2017 and is now managed by two permanent employees from the zoo school. It is aimed primarily at children from grades 1 to 6.

Breeding successes

African elephants, 2006

The breeding of endangered animal species is a major concern of zoological gardens. Many animal facilities in the zoo take this into account by planning retreat and demarcation areas for pregnant animals and their young.

The breeding successes include:

  • The zoo's first “breeding success” came before the zoo opened in 1954: two guinea pigs .
  • In 1961 the Great White Pelican hatched Methuselah. That was the first German breed of pelicans and also the beginning of continuous breeding of almost all pelicans, with the world first breeding of spectacled pelicans as a new high point in 1992 .
  • Also in 1961, the sun bear Evi († 1997) was born. Another 46 sun bears followed, of which Dara, born in March 2006, is the youngest.
  • In 1963, the chimpanzee Jacques, the first great ape, was born. In addition to chimpanzees, the zoo also raised orangutans . The Tierpark Berlin is currently not keeping or breeding great apes.
  • In 1968 the zoo recorded its first giraffe birth with Bummi  . Giraffes continue to be successfully bred.
  • In 1969 the first Darwin rhea hatched ,
  • In 1979 musk oxen was raised for the first time outside of their homeland ,
  • In 1981 the world's first harpy was raised ,
  • In 1986, Björn-Heinrich, the first polar bear was born, followed by six more by 2016. After Fritz died after four months and another young animal after a month, the female Hertha was born in 2018 , named after the Berlin football club Hertha BSC , which took over the sponsorship .
  • In 1993 the European first breeding of the Lesser Flamingos took place ,
  • In 2004 an Indian rhinoceros was born.
  • In 2011 a gold takin was born in Germany for the first time .

Tierpark Berlin was the only zoo in Germany to keep a breeding group of Asian and African elephants (since September 29, 2015, there is no sexually mature bull among the Asian elephants). In 1999, Matibi  and Tutume  ♂, the first two African elephants born in Berlin, were born. Another African elephant calf followed in 2001: Tana ♀. In the same year, the Asian female elephant Temi was born in Tierpark Berlin. Three Asian elephant calves were born in 2005: Horas ♂, Cinta ♀ and Yoma ♂. 2006 followed with Kariba ♀ an African elephant. In 2007, Kando ♂ and Panya ♀ were joined by two more African. The cow calf Thuza followed in 2008, the bull calf Dimas in 2010 and Bogor ♂ and Phanta ♀ in May 2012, Edgar ♂ in 2016, all five of the Asian elephants.

According to its own information, Tierpark Berlin is the only zoo in the world that maintains the three takin subspecies Goldtakin, Sichuantakin and Mishmitakin and also breeds the latter two. The Sichuantakine in Berlin are the only specimens of this subspecies in Germany.

In addition, Tierpark Berlin keeps the only Mongozmakis , circular horn sheep and Atlas deer in Germany . The latter is also unique in Europe.

Media presence and special features

Radio and television

Tierpark Berlin was the flagship of the zoological gardens in the GDR . As a result, he and his director were also courted. The radio show Im Tierpark overheard with Karin Rohn and the TV shows Visiting Prof. Dr. Dr. Dathe and Tierparkteletreff , both with Annemarie Brodhagen , increased the awareness and popularity of the zoo and its director.

After the success of the TV show Elefant, Tiger & Co. from the Leipzig zoo, ARD broadcast the 52-part series Panda, Gorilla & Co. from April to July 2006. The rbb production told stories about Berlin zoo animals and their keepers and reports roughly equal shares from the zoological garden and the animal park.

Printed works and souvenirs

Pf - definitive stamp of the Deutsche Post 1973 from the series Socialist Construction , Alfred-Brehm-Haus

A form of public advertising that was very popular in the GDR was the design of postage stamps . Zoo motifs have been used here several times. One of the most common GDR postage stamps was a green definitive stamp with a value of 5  Pfennig , which presented the view of the Alfred Brehm House enriched with a pelican as a motif. In addition, postmark advertising with zoo motifs was given high priority.

In the early days of the zoo, the magazine Freie Welt (19 / 1955–8 / 1956) published 14 episodes of a picture story illustrated by Heinz Rammelt about the Berlin bear Ottokar , who gathers animals for the zoo all over the world. At the end of the story, issue 9 from 1956 reported on two pages about the Berlin zoo. Also in 1956 and the following year, two twelve-page handicraft sheet booklets were published under the title Modellbogen Tierpark Berlin , on the basis of which some of the animal enclosures could be modeled on a scale of 1:90. In 1962 two more model sheets appeared, this time on a scale of 1/200.

In 1957 the first issue of this series was published with the zoo guide. A new edition appeared annually from the 1990s until 2013.

A famous personality of the zoo is a fictional person: Ede, the zoo apprentice and later zoo keeper. This character was invented by the cartoonist Erich Schmitt , who was a good friend of the director Dathe. The first zoo apprentice had inspired him. In cartoons for magazines and in several editions of books and magazines, such a "SchMITTzter zoo" was presented. Schmitt also illustrated the children's book Teepetepee by Kolma Maier-Puschi, which was published by Kinderbuchverlag Berlin . The fantastic fairy tale story begins on Tuesday, September 11th, in the Berlin zoo with two children and a giant horned frog disappearing in front of the visitors.

The book Tierpflegerin Uschi by Friedel Hart was also published in 1967 by Kinderbuchverlag Berlin . It tells the story of a girl who is completing an apprenticeship as a zoo keeper at Tierpark Berlin. Everyday life, joy and worries were presented realistically.

Until 1990, the Tierpark Berlin was advertised on sugar cube packs, matchboxes and beer coasters, among other things. Souvenirs from picture calendars to notepads and pens to postcards, collector's picture folders and posters formed a source of income. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the associated restructuring, the range of souvenirs was initially significantly reduced. Later, in addition to postcards and posters, other souvenir items were added to the range. In March 2007, the association of sponsors of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin e. V. the task of running souvenir stands in the zoo.

Fundraiser

One of the best-known campaigns for the zoo was the children's magazine Bummi's fundraising campaign for a giraffe : In 1960, thanks to financial support from all over the country, the two Angola giraffes Tobias and Ursel were acquired. The zoo no longer has this type of giraffe in its inventory; Uganda giraffes are shown and bred instead. The first giraffe born in the zoo was named Bummi ♀ in 1968 in memory of this campaign.

particularities

  • In 1969, recordings were made in Tierpark Berlin that depict scenes from the Berlin Zoological Garden in the film Liberation .
  • The Matibi primary school in Neu-Hohenschönhausen is named after the first elephant born in the zoo.
  • The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research is located on the north-western border of the zoo .
  • The Volvo Zoo Run has been held annually at the zoo since 2012 . The routes offered are 10 km, 5 km and 1400 m (children's run) and 700 m (Bambini run).

advancement

Zebra mongoose in the outdoor enclosure with the small cats

Tierpark Berlin tries to make full use of funding opportunities and asks visitors to support the zoo financially.

Today's support association of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin e. V. was founded in March 1956 and until February 2007 only sponsored the Berlin Zoo. In February 2007 the statutes and the name were changed and funding was extended to include the Berlin Zoological Garden. Thomas Ziolko has been chairman since 2004 .

The friends' association is a founding member of the Association of German Zoo Funders and is committed to the further expansion of the two Berlin zoos as well as environmental and nature conservation. With the contributions and donations of the members and friends of the association, facilities and enclosures for the animals are financed or supported. The association has over 1300 members.

The following projects were co-financed by the association: plant for muntjaks (1958; today for cassowaries ), plant for prairie dogs (1959; this plant no longer exists), plant for European lynx (1961), plant for Canadian lynx (1975), plant for Ring-tailed lemurs (1984), crocodile house (1987), mosaic in the pachyderm house (1989), aviaries for pheasantry (1992), facility for dingoes (1993), snake farm (1993), turtle pond (1994), outdoor facility for sun bears (1995), snake farm ( 1996), plant for Shoebills (1997), plant for snow leopards (1998), parrot system (1999/2000), sponsor Mishmi- takins (2001), winter house for pelicans (2002), small cat cages (2003), house of giant tortoises (2005 ), Variwäldchen (2005) and redesign of the bear shop window (2006).

In 2010, on the initiative of the support group of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin e. V. founded the Friends of the Capital Zoo Foundation. The aim of the foundation is sustainable and permanent support for Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin. The former governing mayor of Berlin , Eberhard Diepgen, is the chairman of the foundation's board of trustees .

Taking on a sponsorship is another possibility of support. Sponsorship contributions from private individuals, companies or organizations for single or multiple animals should help to financially secure the maintenance and care.

Visitor service

Entrance bear shop window in 2016

A service for visitors is the handcart loan and the possibility to borrow wheelchairs .

Numerous visitors come to the daily feedings. At the weekend around 12 noon the elephants bathe in the pachyderm house.

From spring to autumn and also on mild winter days, a park path tram is on the way, which travels through the zoo in around 45 minutes. During the journey, eleven stops are approached, and you can get on and off up to three times for a ticket.

The zoo can be reached by tram and the underground line U5 ( underground station Tierpark ).

Statistical data

The most successful year in terms of visitor numbers was 1989 with almost 3.2 million visitors.

Older visitor numbers: 1955 = 600,000; 1966 = 2.2 million, 1990 = 2.2 million, 1995 = 1.2 million, 2000 = 1.1 million.

Statistical data for the years 2004–2018 as of December 31st
Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians fishes Invertebrates total Visitors
number species number species number species number species number species number species
2004 1,962 238 2,883 452 573 111 70 6th 573 142 2,905 112 8,966 1,061 814,085 *
2005 1,826 235 2,910 443 587 110 75 6th 1,368 139 2,512 101 9,278 1,034 1,180,566
2006 1,661 225 2,896 426 524 109 41 5 1,145 135 2,456 103 8,723 1.003 865,518
2007 1,467 196 2,797 419 525 115 17th 4th 1,199 142 1,950 100 7,955 976 910.466
2008 1,397 189 2,520 409 561 114 31 4th 1.101 139 2,089 95 7,699 950 967.443
2009 1,145 191 2,425 389 537 102 39 4th 1,228 128 2,150 83 7,524 897 947.828
2010 1,403 192 2,362 384 570 106 44 4th 1,131 117 1,951 81 7,461 884 966.862
2011 1,436 192 2,281 372 577 108 57 4th 1,187 111 2,091 78 7,629 865 1,053,222
2012 1,383 197 2,225 361 543 104 51 4th 1,070 112 2,087 83 7,359 861 1,048,860
2013 1,283 199 2,380 356 508 103 55 3 938 106 2,086 79 7,250 846 1,035,899
2014 1,278 189 2.120 345 467 103 54 3 1,141 100 2,622 75 7,682 815 1,159,620
2015 1,252 189 1,811 316 445 97 48 4th 847 92 2.122 64 6,525 762 1.207.010
2016 1,135 184 1,545 309 406 100 40 4th 5,426 102 466 91 9,018 790 1,318,122
2017 1,210 180 1,352 270 360 82 89 5 5,471 80 377 96 8,859 713 1,427,920
2018 1,158 176 1,240 246 312 62 132 5 4,596 74 541 93 7,979 656 1,470,254
*During the summer of 2004, the U-Bahn line 5 between Frankfurter Allee and the zoo was closed. This interrupted an important traffic connection to the zoo.

Documentation

CD-ROM

  • Berlin-Friedrichsfelde Zoo. The park and its animals on CD-ROM . Köppen Publishing 1999.

Video

  • Berlin Zoo Stories. Berlin-Friedrichsfelde Zoo. 57 min.
  • Berlin Zoo. 1995, 45 min.
  • Berlin Zoo. Sirius video, 60 min.

DVD

  • Heinrich Dathe - Berlin's legendary zoo professor. rbb media GmbH, 2010; 44 min. + 100 min. Bonus material.
  • Tierpark Berlin - 50 years of the Tierpark. rbb media GmbH 2005, 45 min.
  • Four in one go. The elephant birth boom in Berlin. video manufactur team three 2006, 38 min.
  • Adventure Zoo: Berlin Tierpark. VZ Handelsgesellschaft mbH 2006, 45 min.

See also

literature

Series of publications

  • Signpost through the zoo. (Ed .: Tierpark Berlin) - appears annually
  • Annual report. (Ed .: Tierpark Berlin) - appears annually
  • Milu. Messages from the Tierpark Berlin. (Ed. Tierpark Berlin) - appears irregularly
  • Takin. (Ed .: Association of the sponsors of the zoo) - appears twice a year

Individual publications

  • Bernhard Blaszkiewitz : 50 years of Tierpark Berlin. A chronicle in pictures. Berlin 2005.
  • Bernhard Blaszkiewitz: 55 years of Tierpark Berlin. A chronicle in pictures. Berlin 2010.
  • Bernhard Blaszkiewitz: Tierpark Berlin 1955–2013. A chronicle in pictures. Berlin 2013.
  • Heinrich Dathe : Memories of a passionate zoo gardener. Munich / Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-7338-0313-2 .
  • Heinrich Dathe: Memories of a passionate zoo gardener. With a foreword by Bernhard Blaszkiewitz. 3rd, updated edition Berlin 2010, ISBN 3-86541-372-2 .
  • Heinrich Dathe: Overheard in the zoo. Wittenberg 1964.
  • Heinrich Dathe: Experiences with zoo animals. Wittenberg 1972.
  • Heinrich Dathe (texts), Ulla Zernicke (photos): Oase. The zoo in Berlin. Wittenberg 1972.
  • Heinrich Dathe (ed.): The artistic jewelry of the Berlin zoo. Berlin 1980.
  • G. Funeck, W. Schönholz, F. Steinwasser: Park and green areas in Berlin , Berlin Information 1987, ISBN 3-7442-0028-0 .
  • Detlef Karg : The north parterre in the Berlin-Friedrichsfelde zoo. A reconstruction . In: Die Gartenkunst 2 (2/1990), pp. 298–309.
  • Manfred Kofferschläger: Definitely mouse gray. Early episodes from the Tierpark Berlin. Kückenshagen 2007, ISBN 978-3-938398-53-1 .
  • Enrico Matthies (Ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009.
  • Jürgen Mladek: Our zoo book. Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-360-01987-5 .
  • Garden plan - zoo and Friedrichsfelde Palace. Published by: Museum Education Service Berlin, Berlin 1998.
  • Werner Synakiewicz: Tierpark Berlin. The most beautiful stories. Berlin-Brandenburg 2005, ISBN 3-8148-0138-5 .

Web links

Commons : Tierpark Berlin  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Tierpark Berlin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

swell

In addition to the documents explicitly stated here, the periodicals Guide through the zoo , the annual report, Milu and Takin were used to compile the text. In addition, for the sale of art in the zoo , the work The artistic jewelry of the Berlin zoo, published by Heinrich Dathe in 1980, was increasingly used .

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e Statistical Yearbook Berlin 2019, Chapter 04 Education and Culture . Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg , ISBN 978-3-8305-3997-1
  2. Tierpark Berlin - Annual Report 1985 , p. 56 and other sources.
  3. Beatrice Härig: Stalking a rare genus . Zoos as a monument. In: German Foundation for Monument Protection (Hrsg.): Monuments . Magazine for monument culture in Germany. No. 3 . Monuments publications, 2019, ISSN  0941-7125 , p. 14 .
  4. Tropical expedition in the urban jungle. July 16, 2020, accessed July 25, 2020 .
  5. Mtandane (45) had collapsed from weakness . In: BZ , May 22, 2008
  6. a b Stefan Strauss: Deer on the rubble mountain . In: Berliner Zeitung , November 26, 2002
  7. Danger in the snake house . At: moz.de , accessed on July 3, 2018
  8. ^ Heinrich Dathe (ed.): The artistic jewelry of the Berlin zoo. Berlin 1980, p. 5.
  9. Enrico Matthies (ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, p. 36
  10. Enrico Matthies (ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, p. 6
  11. ^ Herbert Schwenk: Pathos and art in ore and stone . In: Berlin monthly magazine ( Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein ) . Issue 3, 1997, ISSN  0944-5560 , p. 21–28 ( luise-berlin.de ).
  12. L. Heck (Ed.): Living images from the animal kingdom. Snapshots of the living animal population in the Berlin Zoological Garden. Berlin 1899, p. 6.
  13. The assignment follows Enrico Matthies (Ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, p. 21 and 32. This assignment contradicts the assignment by Heinrich Dathe (cf.: Heinrich Dathe (Hrsg.): The artistic jewelry of the Berlin Zoo . Berlin 1980, p. 40–41).
  14. The assignment follows Enrico Matthies (Ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, pp. 21 and 32.
  15. Enrico Matthies (ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, p. 11
  16. Enrico Matthies (ed.): Animals with a stone heart and bronze skin. The artistic jewelry of the Tierpark Berlin. Berlin 2009, p. 69
  17. Dr. Bernhard Blaszkiewitz; In: Takin 1/1995 , Berlin 1995, p. 4.
  18. ^ Tierpark Berlin - youth club. In: tierpark-berlin.de. Retrieved April 22, 2019 .
  19. Hans-Günter Petzold: The Berlin Zoo - a magnet for residents of the capital and their guests for 25 years. In: Urania 7/1980. Leipzig / Jena / Berlin 1980, pp. 2–3.
  20. Uwe-Peter Steinschek: The history of the polar bears in the Berlin zoo. In: bz-berlin.de , November 14, 2016
  21. Tierpark Berlin: The cause of death of polar bear Fritz remains a mystery. In: morgenpost.de , July 31, 2018
  22. ↑ The baby polar bear in Berlin's zoo is called Hertha. In: morgenpost.de , April 6, 2019
  23. "Shaolin" - the first gold takin born in Germany in Tierpark Berlin on zoo-berlin.de, May 23, 2011
  24. Tierpark Berlin . In: EleWiki . ( wikia.com [accessed February 26, 2017]).
  25. Edgar . In: EleWiki . ( wikia.com [accessed February 26, 2017]).
  26. Tierpark Berlin on stamps . Wikimedia Commons
  27. Tierpark Berlin - Annual Report 1985. P. 70 f and other sources.
  28. Volvo Zoo Run. In: berlin-laeuft.de. Retrieved September 12, 2013 .
  29. Article from a Berlin daily newspaper, 1982; no name of the newspaper and no date
  30. ^ Statistical yearbooks . Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg , accessed on January 26, 2020
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on May 2, 2006 .