Berlin Zoological Garden

This article is about the zoo. For the train station in the immediate vicinity, see Berlin Zoologischer Garten train station .

Berlin Zoological Garden
particularities	Most species-rich zoo in the world, oldest zoo in Germany
location	Hardenbergplatz 8 10787 Berlin
surface	33 hectares
opening	August 1, 1844
animal species	1,115 Species (December 31, 2020)
individuals	20,839 animals (December 31, 2020)
visitor numbers	2.27 million (2020)
ISIN	DE0005031801 DE0005031868
organization
management	Andrew Knieriem
sponsorship	Zoological Garden Berlin AG (WKN: 503180, WKN: 503186)
funding organizations	Friends and sponsors of the Zoological Garden Berlin e. V., Association of Sponsors of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin e. V
Member of	WAZA , EAZA , VdZ
Elephant gate at the entrance to Budapester Strasse
www.zoo-berlin.de/de

The Berlin Zoological Garden in the Berlin district of Tiergarten ( district Mitte ) is the oldest existing zoo in Germany and, alongside the Tierpark Berlin in the district of Friedrichsfelde , one of the two zoological gardens in the capital. In the center of Berlin,  20,839 animals from around 1,115 species can be seen on an area of ​​33 hectares , including exotic species as well as species threatened with extinction.

Next to the Zoo Berlin is the show aquarium, in which fish , reptiles , amphibians and invertebrates such as insects can be seen on three floors. With the adjoining aquarium, Zoo Berlin is one of the most visited sights in Berlin. 2.3 million people visited the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium in 2020.

The zoo is the namesake of the Zoologischer Garten train station , which is located on Hardenbergplatz opposite the zoo administration building and the Löwentor.

story

In 1841, the zoologist at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin, Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein, had persuaded the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV to make available not only a loan , but also part of the grounds of his pheasantry in the Berlin Tiergarten free of charge for the establishment of a zoo put. Lichtenstein wrote a memorandum to the king as early as 1840. The text of this memorandum has been lost since 1877. What is certain, however, is that Alexander von Humboldt presented it to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who made the founding of the Zoological Garden possible with the "highest cabinet order of January 31, 1841".

The Zoological Garden Berlin was opened on August 1, 1844 as the ninth zoo in Europe. Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein was the first director. After Lichtenstein's death in 1857, Wilhelm Carl Hartwig Peters was appointed director.

On August 3, 1870, Peters was succeeded by the medical doctor and founding director of the Cologne Zoo , Heinrich Bodinus , as zoo director. In 1871 he had an antelope house built, which became a tourist attraction mainly because of its exotic style. In the period that followed, an elephant house, an ostrich house, a wader house and the elephant gate were built . In addition, pavilions and restaurants were built on the grounds of the zoo .

In 1885, the veterinarian Max Schmidt , who had previously managed the Frankfurt Zoo , became Bodinus's successor. He introduced an animal inventory and orderly bookkeeping.

After Schmidt's death in 1888, Ludwig Heck took over management of the zoo and had the animal population expanded, which was then comparable to that of London Zoo .

Initially, the zoological garden was surrounded by a wooden fence . Instead, a simple wall was built in 1905, which, along with a coat of paint using fine sand sprayed on, was given the appearance of a sandstone wall .

In 1905 it was also reported that the zoo was to receive an exhibition hall according to the construction plans of the building councilor Gause. The project was presented to the Zoo-Aktiengesellschaft and was to be handed over to the AG for a long-term lease after completion. However, there was massive criticism from the public that such an object would lose the garden character of the zoo and that the usable terrain for the animal enclosures would be used for a purpose alien to the species. As can be seen, no exhibition hall was built.

Aquarium Berlin (building from 1913)

In 1913, the aquarium created under the planning of behavioral researcher Oskar Heinroth was opened. After the First World War , the facilities were expanded into outdoor enclosures based on the model of the Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg .

Berlin commemorative plaque at the antelope house

Ludwig Heck's son Lutz Heck followed in 1932 as director. Under his leadership, Jews were banned from the zoo in 1939 .

During the Second World War , a large part of the zoo was destroyed by Allied air raids . Of a total of 3715 animals, only 91 survived, including two lions , two hyenas , the Asian bull elephant Siamese , the bull hippopotamus Knautschke , ten hamadrat baboons , the chimpanzee Suse , a black- billed stork and a shoebill .

From 1945 to the end of 1956, the zoo was managed by Katharina Heinroth , Oskar Heinroth's wife and at the time Germany's only zoo director. She organized the reconstruction of the zoo, had the antelope house renovated and an elephant house and a hippo house built.

Heinz-Georg Klös took over management of the zoo in 1956 and carried out further reconstruction and expansion. Among other things, he had monkey houses, an aviary, bear enclosures and a predator house with a nocturnal section built and the aquarium expanded. Breeding of rare or endangered animals such as black rhino or Przewalski's horse began . In addition, Klös had animal sculptures set up on the zoo grounds and zoo-architecturally important buildings from the past reconstructed and renovated (such as the elephant gate, lion gate and giraffe house). He established a zoo school and restored many of the old buildings.

After German reunification , cooperation with the zoo in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde , which is considered the largest landscape zoo in Europe, was intensified. Hans Frädrich managed the zoo from 1991 to 2002 . On May 5, 1994, the Deutsche Bundespost issued a block of special stamps to mark the 150th anniversary of the Berlin Zoo and the 150th birthday of Carl Hagenbeck .

On July 1, 2006, Bernhard Blaszkiewitz was appointed as a further full member of the Board of Management of Zoo Berlin AG. The job of zoo director was transferred to him effective January 31, 2007, after the previous incumbent, CEO Jürgen Lange , retired at the end of January 2007 due to age. Blaszkiewitz was also the managing director and director of Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde GmbH .

On September 19, 2013, the supervisory board of Zoologischer Garten Berlin AG announced that Andreas Knieriem , the previous director of the Munich Tierpark Hellabrunn , had been named as the successor to the outgoing director Blaszkiewitz and was thus the sole director of both facilities. Knieriem took office in 2014.

Since the 2000s, Zoo Berlin has been the filming location for the TV series Panda, Gorilla & Co.

In addition to shows and commented feedings, such as with the California sea lions or the elephants, various special events such as Whitsun singing take place at Zoo Berlin. Guided tours on topics such as species protection or architecture in the zoo are offered regularly, and the zoo school organizes children's birthday parties and visits to "favorite animals".

The international studbooks for the species bison (since August 25, 1923), gaur , black rhinoceros and white rhinoceros (since 1966) are kept in the Berlin Zoological Garden. The zoo is also involved in the breeding of okapis and lemurs , among other things .

buildings and sculptures

Löwentor , entrance to the zoo at Hardenbergplatz

Some buildings were built in the style of the countries of origin of the animals shown, such as the still existing bison house (from 1905) or the antelope house. The western entrance at Hardenbergplatz is the Löwentor, which was rebuilt according to old models for the 750th anniversary of the city in 1987 (since 2016 with a new, larger ticket office and entrance area). The Elephant Gate (built in 1899, rebuilt in 1984) forms the southern entrance on Olof-Palme-Platz in Budapester Straße . Numerous animal sculptures are set up in the outdoor area, such as the polar bear fountain by Hansjörg Wagner or the orangutan sculpture by Fritz Behn . Some of these are reminiscences of zoo animals that have died, for example the bronze statue by Knautschke in front of the hippo house, the granite sculpture of gorilla Bobby by the monkey enclosure and the monument Knut the dreamer .

Marble Hall, around 1915		Marble Hall, 1918

The Marble Hall was built between 1910 and 1912 and was one of the largest halls in Berlin at the time. It was located in the central building of the restaurant complex on the south-eastern edge of the zoo grounds and was used as an inn and cinema . The film Nosferatu premiered there in 1922. In addition, the Reich Press Ball took place in the hall several times in the 1930s . During the Second World War the hall was destroyed and not refurnished.

The supply building on the railway line, designed by architects schmucker und partner , went into operation in October 2008. The new building was financed by selling the old farm premises.

animal facilities

General

With the aquarium, the Berlin Zoological Garden has the greatest diversity of species among zoos in the world.

Capricorn rock

A breeding group of Siberian ibexes lives on the ibex rock, which was created in 1899 under the planning of Moritz Lehmann . Rarities such as Sichuan takin and Himalayan thare live in the neighborhood . The rodents among the mountain animals are presented with alpine marmots and woodchucks .

Eagle Gorge (Eagle Rock)

Since a conversion, which, among other things, combined 65 outdoor aviaries into 25, a total of 37 birds of 15 different species have lived at Adlerfelsen in 2018, including ten species of raptor , three species of owl , one species of raven and one species of hornbill . Andean condors live near the penguin house .

camel territory

dromedary

Dromedaries and vicunas live in the camel district established in 1961 . A facility at the Lichtenstein Bridge , which leads to the expansion site via the Landwehr Canal, is a habitat for llamas . The breeding group of alpacas lives near the pheasantry .

bear rock

Several species of the world's great bears live on the Bear Rock, which was built in 1937. Black bears and Indian sloth bears inhabit the Tropical Bear Rock. Polar bears inhabit a large rock formation; Knut was born here in 2006 . Until 2016, brown bears used a large enclosure with lots of water and trees. The arctic wolves were able to get from their enclosure to the brown bears’ enclosure via a connecting tunnel. Red coatis and the critically endangered African wild dogs live nearby .

cattle station

Numerous exotic cattle are presented in the cattle area. The stables for the animals are built in the style of the animals' countries of origin, e.g. B. the largest Thai structure in Europe, the stable for Java Banteng and Indian Gaur . Also found in the cattle area are red buffalo , lowland anoas , yaks , Watusi cattle , Southern European water buffalo , plains bison and bison .

seal rock

A breeding group of California sea lions , East Atlantic harbor seals and South African fur seals lives at Seal Rock . Dwarf otters live in the immediate vicinity .

ungulates

Persian equids and even-toed ungulates

In the historical Persian equid territory from the years 1909/1910 not only the equids Böhm's steppe zebra and Grevy 's zebra live , but also even-toed ungulates such as eland , South African oryx and saber antelope .

The even-toed ungulate territory is occupied by giant anteaters, the rare eastern bongos, okapis along with red duikers, and South African sable antelopes along with kirk dik-diks .

deer territory

The deer district, established between 1869 and 1872, is home to the largest collection of deer in Central Europe. Prince Alfred deer , southern pudus , David 's deer , Japanese sika deer , axis deer , white-tailed deer , and pygmy muntyak live here . The Nordic deer are represented by the Mesopotamian fallow deer and the European forest reindeer . In addition, the zoo keeps the only barasinghas and the only Chinese water deer in Germany.

Petting zoo Hans im Glück (animal children's zoo)

children's zoo

In addition to wild animals, the zoo is also home to domestic breeds. Some of them can be stroked and fed in the children's animal zoo. In addition to backwoods cattle , Shetland ponies , Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs and Cameroon sheep , the petting zoo also has six other domestic animal breeds, some of which are endangered, from all over the world.

Pheasantry

Galliformes of all sizes live in the pheasantry, e.g. B. Vieillot Fireback Pheasant , Napoleon Peafowl , Prelate Pheasant , Malayan Argus Pheasant , Indochinese Peacock Pheasant , Collared Francolin , Elliot Pheasant , Yellow-billed Hokko , Tuberculous Hokko , Pygmy Quail and many more. Kleinkantschile live there as lodgers , small mammals that belong to the family of deer piglets . A pair of cassowaries live near the pheasantry . There is also a beach bird aviary nearby, as well as aviaries for Lesser Flamingos , James' Flamingos and Andean Flamingos .

expansion site

Located in the old diplomatic quarter, the 3.4  -hectare expansion site is the zoo's only area beyond the Landwehr Canal . Its opening took place on May 23, 1987. There is the African enclosure with South African blue-necked ostriches , springbok , greater kudu and blesbok , as well as the South American enclosure with guanacos , rheas , capybaras and greater maras . When they were put together, these communal attitudes were considered a risk, since they were breaking new ground in zoology. Also inhabiting the expansion site are emus , Parma kangaroos , red kangaroos , and Przewalski's horses . In addition, the last Japanese serau kept in Germany lived here until 2016 .

Rodent rocks, aviaries and other facilities

Opened in 1903 as a facility for aquatic rodents, Rodent Rock is home to South African porcupines and African tasseled porcupines . In the immediate vicinity of the elephant gate lives a breeding group of blackbuck antelopes . Between the monkey house and the monkey rock there is an aviary for storks. Black storks , Asian woolly -necked storks , Maguari storks , Abdim storks and red -footed seriemas live here, among others . Four different species of pelican live on Pelican Lake . Between the deer area and the Bohemian steppe zebras is a large meadow for waders. European white storks , East African crowned cranes , red-crowned cranes and African marabous live here, among others . Between wild dogs and Andean condors is a water-rich aviary, the marsh bird aviary. Punaibis , Black -faced Ibis , Crested Ibis , Philippine Red-backed Heron , Magnificent Heron , Paddy Heron , Cattle Egret and many more live here. There is an enclosure for Greater Flamingos and Chilean Flamingos near the Elephant House . The zoo's lakes (Vierwaldstätter See, Grottenteich, Neptuneteich, small predatory animal pond) inhabit more than 60 species of ducks, geese, swans and mergansers. Rare chickens and pigeons live in the historic 1908 pigeon and chicken house, including silkie chicken , bankiva chicken , curling pigeon , dwarf sheet field and over 17 other species.

animal houses

elephant house

Elephant house with outdoor area

The elephant house right next to the entrance at Hardenbergplatz (Löwentor) houses a breeding group of Indian elephants . Living at Zoo Berlin:

• Viktor (* 1993 in Ramat Gan / Israel , since 2000 in the Zoological Garden)
• Carla (* 1974 in India , since 1977 in the Zoological Garden)
• Drumbo (* 1970, since 1987 in the Zoological Garden)
• Pang Pha (* 1987 in Thailand , since 1987 in the Zoological Garden)
• Anchali (* 2012 in the Berlin Zoological Garden)

The elephant cows Tanja (* 1964 in India; † October 16, 2018) and Iyoti (* 1974 in India; † February 16, 2019), from 1984 and 1976 until their death in the Zoological Garden, had to be put down due to age-related diseases.

rhino house

The rhinos are a focal point of zoological work. Zoo Berlin keeps the international stud book for the white rhino  – although it is no longer in the stock. East African black rhinos , whose breeding made the zoo famous, and Indian rhinos lived in the six enclosures of the rhino house, which was built between 1962 and 1964 . In addition, the black rhinos inhabit an extensive facility near the Lichtenstein Bridge . Flatland tapirs and a Central American tapir lodged in the rhino house . The building was demolished in 2021; similar to the hippo house, the new building should enable underwater viewing.

hippo house

View of the hippo house

The hippo house is one of the most modern animal houses in the world. Its roof consists of a glass double dome, which reflects the light reflections on the water surface in the evening. Here hippos live in a pool surrounded by savannah-like lush vegetation and next door, western pygmy hippos . Through panoramic glass panes, guests can watch the animals on their underwater walks. The hippos share the outdoor area with nyalas , antelopes from Africa.

pig house

In the historic pig house from 1910, exceptional pigs such as Sulawesi foie gras , Negros pustular hogs , river river hogs , Borneo bearded hogs , collared peccaries , southern whiskered peccaries and West African warthogs are presented.

predator house

The building opened in April 1974. Some parts of the facility were built earlier; in 1971 the 600 m² facility for Siberian tigers and in 1960 the 2000 m² facility for Barbary lions . The inner cages of all predators are tiled and partly dated. Also found here are Javan leopards , Northern Persian leopards , jaguars , ocelots , fossas , Arabian sandcats , Sri Lankan rust cats , eastern ring -tailed mongooses , northern narrow -striped mongooses , jaguarundis , tayras , southern pygmy mongooses , steppe foxes , and arctic foxes .

From 1980, the well-known pandas Bao Bao and Tjen Tjen were also housed here. The attitude initially ended in 2012. The giant pandas Meng Meng and Jiao Qing have been living in the newly built Panda Garden near the deer area since June 2017 .

The predator house has been extensively renovated and redesigned since 2019. The reopening of the renovation is scheduled for February 25, 2022 (status: January 25, 2022). As part of the renovation, the enclosures will be designed in a natural way, with grids and tiles being replaced by glass panes and artificial rocks. In addition, some enclosures have been enlarged.

nocturnal animal house

The nocturnal animal house, built in the mid-1970s, is located under the predator house. Here the day/night rhythm is reversed. Visitors can also experience nocturnal animals . There are i.a. Aardvarks , Senegal galagos , Bengal slow loris , kinkajous , vampire bats , six-banded armadillos , dwarf green agoutis , desert foxes , Bolivia night monkeys and aye -aye and eleven other nocturnal species.

The nocturnal animal house is also currently (as of January 2022) not accessible to visitors due to the construction work in the predator house.

monkey house

Gorilla Fatou in the outdoor enclosure

In addition to the great apes ( Sumatran orangutans , western lowland gorillas , bonobos and West African chimpanzees ) , the monkey house, which was opened in four sections from April 1959 to 1965, also houses over 22 species of monkeys, some of which are rare, including Ceylon hat monkeys , owl -headed monkeys , red titi monkeys , siamese monkeys and brown monkeys Capuchin monkeys , hulmans , mandrills , crested langurs , Rio Napo tamarins , Colombian spider monkeys , black howler monkeys , red-faced macaques and marmosets . On the neighboring Affenfelsen live large breeding groups with Hamadryas baboons and bearded monkeys . The gibbon island in the cave pond is inhabited by hooded gibbons .

Panda Garden (panda house)

Entrance to the Panda Garden

The 5480 m² Panda Garden is home to the giant pandas Meng Meng and Jiao Qing and their two cubs Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, who were born on August 31, 2019. The Sichuan province in China served as a model for the landscape design of the facility, which cost around nine million euros .

The Panda Garden consists of two areas of around 1080 m², each of which is inhabited by one of the pandas, a visitor pavilion that allows a view of both areas, as well as a stable and farm facility. Each of the pandas has an outdoor and indoor area within their area.

The opening of the facility took place on July 5, 2017 in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping .

World of Birds (Birdhouse)

world of birds

Newly opened in June 2016, the aviary displays a variety of birds, including rarities such as the bali starling , yellow-naped woodpecker , kagu , kea , northern striped kiwi and many more. In the two free flight halls, visitors can discover the bird life of Asia and Africa. At multimedia hands -on stations , visitors receive information about the residents of the bird house. Over 300 species of birds live in the aviary.

penguin world

In the penguin climate house, completed in 1977, the colony of king penguins and western rockhopper penguins live on real ice and snow. African penguins and Humboldt penguins live nearby . Eurasian beavers live in a water-rich facility .

Antelope House (Giraffe House)

antelope house

Exotic animals are presented in the historic antelope house from 1871/1872, in which the " Three Emperors Meeting " took place in 1872. The only southern giraffe gazelles in Europe live here (next to Tierpark Berlin ) and the rare Rothschild giraffes . Breeding groups of reticulated giraffes , western sitatungas , Defassa waterbucks , Persian goitered gazelles and Kafue lychee moor antelopes also live here . In the middle of the house there is a small tropical hall; Northern ground hornbills live here .

Aquarium

Entrance to the aquarium from the Zoological Garden side

→ Main articles : Aquarium Berlin  and Iguanodon Sculpture (Berlin)

The aquarium, which opened in 1913, is considered the largest publicly accessible show aquarium in Europe. Around 16,000 animals from over 750 species live in the aquariums and terrariums. The shark tank alone, redesigned in 2015 , holds 130,000 liters of water. Four different shark species are shown here.

Prominent animals (selection)

Knut with animal keeper Thomas Dörflein

The female gorilla Fatou has lived at Zoo Berlin since 1959 . Born in 1957, she is the oldest lowland gorilla living in human care.

Until August 22, 2012, the Berlin Zoo was the only German zoo that had a giant panda bear ( Bao Bao ) in its population. On June 24, 2017, the zoo received the female panda Meng Meng ('Little Dream', * 2013) and the male panda Jiao Qing ('Sweetheart', * 2010) on loan for 15 years for a rent of one million euros per year newly built Panda Garden . The two male cubs were born on August 31, 2019 and were named Meng Xiang (Longed For Dream) and Meng Yuan (Dream Fulfilled).

Also known were and are the hippos Knautschke and Bulette , the female Asian elephant Shanti , the giraffe Rieke , the gorillas Bobby (who still adorns the logo of the Berlin Zoo) and Knorke , and the polar bear Knut . The cub was hand- reared by animal keeper Thomas Dörflein because the mother had not accepted the cub. The cub led to an enormous increase in the number of visitors, and the share price of the Zoological Garden Berlin AG rose as a result of the polar bear's popularity from mid-March to the beginning of April 2007, almost doubling to around 4000  euros per share.

→ Main article : Knut (polar bear)

company

The Zoological Garden Berlin Aktiengesellschaft is a non-profit corporation . Because they are not founded by a partnership agreement , but by a state award, there are special features compared to other stock corporations. The state of Berlin carries out state supervision through the finance senator. Amendments to the Articles of Association, changes to the share capital and a possible dissolution require his approval. The property of the Zoological Garden has been made available to the public limited company by the state for use. In addition, the state regularly subsidizes the public limited company on the basis of a grant agreement.

The share capital of 3.3 million marks (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 2.2 million euros) is divided into a total of 4,000 registered shares, of which

• 3000 with the name Aquarium and a nominal value of 520 euros ( securities identification number WKN 503180),
• 1000 with the designation without aquarium and a nominal value of 156 euros (securities identification number WKN 503186).

The share at EUR 156 grants three voting rights, the share at EUR 520 grants ten voting rights. The share also entitles the holder to purchase a permanent admission ticket for himself and two relatives with unlimited validity against payment of a one-time fee. The shares are traded over -the -counter on the Berlin stock exchange and are in free float, and the state of Berlin only holds a symbolic EUR 520 share. Shares of EUR 520 that had reverted to the stock corporation as a result of discounts were reissued in 2007 at a price of EUR 1,600 .

The balance sheet for 2007, which was drawn up for the first time based on the statements on accounting by organizations collecting donations from the Institute of Public Accountants , shows a total of 50.8 million euros. With total income of 31.8 million euros, to which sales of 18.6 million euros and donations and grants of 6.8 million euros also contributed a state subsidy of 2.0 million euros, a profit of 6.8 million euros was achieved . This result could only be achieved because of the additional sales revenue from the polar bear Knut. In the previous years, no profit was made with grants of 2.1 and 2.2 million euros.

The Zoological Garden Berlin AG is the sole shareholder of Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde GmbH with share capital of 800,000  marks .

In 2007, Zoologischer Garten Berlin AG had an average of 233 employees and 16 trainees.

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  Map of the zoo

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  Building around 1880

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  In the hippo house

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  View of the zoo from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

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  125 years Berlin Zoo: stamp block from 1969

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  150 years Berlin Zoo: stamp block from 1994

supporter

The Berlin Zoo is supported by two development associations and two foundations. As early as 2006, the Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Berlin Zoological Garden e. V. founded. The aim of the association is to promote and support the Zoological Garden in carrying out its tasks. The association is also committed to ensuring that environmental protection measures are promoted by the zoo.

In February 2007, the Berlin Tierpark's sponsorship association, which was founded in 1956, extended its voluntary commitment to the zoo as well. The association was recognized by the zoo as an official support association. The aim of the community of sponsors of Tierpark Berlin and Zoological Garden Berlin e. V. is the material and non-material support of the two zoological institutions in the German capital. The support association, of which many employees and management are members, is the official partner of the zoo, zoo-aquarium and animal park. Thomas Ziolko has been the chairman of the association since 2004 . The aim of the association is to promote and support the Zoological Garden in carrying out its tasks.

In 2010, a foundation for the promotion of the capital's zoos was set up on the initiative of the sponsorship association of Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin . The aim of the foundation is sustainable and lasting support for Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation is Eberhard Diepgen , formerly the Governing Mayor of Berlin . The foundation bears the name Foundation of the Friends of the Capital Zoo .

In 2011, Zoo Berlin established the Berlin Zoological Garden Foundation with the aim of promoting the Berlin Zoological Garden in the long term and in a sustainable manner. The board of directors of the foundation, which is identical in person to the board of directors of Zoologischer Garten Berlin AG and is monitored by the board of trustees, ensures that the purpose of the foundation is fulfilled. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Berlin Zoological Garden Foundation is Eberhard Diepgen.

visitor numbers

Overview of the number of visitors to the Zoological Garden including the adjoining aquarium :

year	visitor	Change compared to previous year
2002	2,656,246
2003	2,579,001	– 02.9%
2004	2,245,000	– 12.9%
2005	2,333,429	+ 03.9%
2006	2,505,844	+ 07.4%
2007	3,191,387	+ 27.4%
2008	3,001,537	– 05.9%
2009	3,018,707	+ 00.6%
2010	2,884,053	– 04.5%
2011	2,944,192	+ 02.1%
2012	2,994,692	+ 01.7%
2013	3,059,136	+ 02.2%
2014	3,256,231	+ 06.4%
2015	3,329,841	+ 02.3%
2016	3,277,594	– 03.1%
2017	3,484,412	+ 08.0%
2018	3,573,763	+ 02.6%
2019	3,729,999	+ 04.4%
2020	2,267,398 *	– 039%
Sources: Annual financial statements as of December 31 of the respective year

^*In 2020 and 2021 , fewer visitors came to the zoo due to the long closing times of the zoo due to the Covid 19 pandemic .

directors

tenure	director	life dates	Remarks
1844-1857	Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein	1780-1857	Initiator and first director
1857-1869	William Peters	1815-1883
1869-1884	Heinrich Bodino	1814-1884
1885-1888	Max Schmidt	1834-1888
1888-1931	Ludwig Heck	1860-1951
1932-1945	Lutz Heck	1892-1983	Son of the previous director
1945-1956	Catherine Heinroth	1897-1989	first female zoo director in Germany
1957-1991	Heinz-Georg Klös	1926-2014
1991-2002	Hans Fraedrich	1937-2003
2002-2007	Jurgen Lange	* 1942
2007-2014	Bernhard Blaszkiewitz	1954-2021	director of Tierpark Berlin since 1991
since 2014	Andrew Knieriem	* 1965

Since 2007, the zoo directors have also managed the animal park in the eastern part of the city. Its director was the zoologist Heinrich Dathe from its founding in 1954 until Bernhard Blaszkiewitz took office .

criticism

The zoo came under criticism in the spring of 2007 when it became known that journalists were only granted access to the press section of the website if they pledged not to report negatively about the zoo. After it became known, the regulation was changed.

Others

• The zoo maintains a few free-ranging house cats that have their territories on the premises. This prevents non-native cats from roaming around the zoo and bringing in pathogens from outside. The in-house cats receive medical care and keep the mouse population in the outdoor area or in enclosures under control.
• A section of the annual Asics Grand 10 ten-kilometer run runs through the Berlin Zoo.

literature

• Heinz-Georg Klös , Hans Frädrich , Ursula Klös: Noah's Ark on the Spree. 150 years of the Zoological Garden in Berlin. FAB publishing house, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-927551-29-5 .
• Nastasja Klothmann: Emotional Worlds in the Zoo. A History of Emotions 1900–1945. Diss. phil. Hamburg, Bielefeld 2015, ISBN 978-3-8376-3022-0 .
• Monika Schmidt: The Jewish Shareholders of the Zoological Garden in Berlin. Names and Fates . Metropol, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-86331-223-7 .
• Colin Goldner : Nazi Zoos: The German Tiergartens between 1933 and 1945 . In: Jessica Ulrich (ed.): Animal Studies . Neofelis-Verlag, Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-95808-000-3 ( online ).
• Hermann von Lattorff: Sketchy Notes on the Zoological Garden with Reference to Agricultural and Technical Conditions . Grobe, Berlin 1846. Digitized by the Berlin Central and State Library, 2011.
• Clemens Maier-Wolthausen: Capital of the Animals. The history of the oldest German zoo. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-96289-040-7 .
• Benjamin Ochse: The tiger does not stand still. The History of Photography in the Zoological Garden . In: Susanne Kähler , Wolfgang Krogel (ed.): Yearbook of the Association for the History of Berlin (=  Yearbook of the Association for the History of Berlin . Year 2020). tape 70 . Westkreuz-Verlag, 2020, ISSN  0522-0033 , p. 143-168 .
• Jutta Schneider: August 1, 1844: Opening of the Zoological Garden . In: Berlin monthly ( Luisenstadt educational association ) . Issue 8, 1999, ISSN  0944-5560 , p. 89–93 ( luise-berlin.de ).
• Caesar of the Ahé: The Menagerie on the "Royal Peacock Island". The Origin of the Berlin Zoological Garden . In: Announcements by the Association for the History of Berlin , 1930, Issue 1. Digitized by the Berlin Central and State Library, 2006.

web links

Commons : Zoological Garden Berlin  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Commons : Zoological Garden Berlin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Zoo website
• Entry in the Berlin state monument list with further information
• A detailed status report of the Zoological Garden from June 1866 from the royally privileged Berlinische Zeitung ( 1 ¹ ⁄ ₂  pages).
• C. Heck: The Berlin Zoological Garden as a scientific collection of animals . In: Royal privileged Berlinische Zeitung , November 3, 1902 ( 1 ¹ ⁄ ₂  pages).

itemizations

1. ↑ ^{a b c} ANNUAL REPORT 2020 .
2. ↑ Berlin Aquarium. In: www.berlin.de. December 17, 2015, retrieved June 13, 2016 . 
3. ↑ Klös et al. : Noah's Ark . 1994, p. 65 ff.
4. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 73.
5. ↑ Ende and Böckmann: The Zoological Garden in Berlin . In: Journal of Construction . 25 (1875), cols. 3-12, 127-132, 451-452, plates 5-7, 20-23, 41. Vol. 26 (1876), cols. 149-152, plates 21-22. Digital copy in the holdings of the Berlin Central and State Library .
6. ↑ Klös et al. : Noah's Ark . 1994, p. 95.
7. ↑ A new fence (right column). In: Berliner Volkszeitung , August 19, 1905.
8. ↑ The hall plan in the zoo . In: Berliner Tageblatt , September 27, 1905.
9. ↑ Frank Nicolai : No honor for Nazi zoo director. Letter to Berlin zoo director, the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the parliamentary groups / petition started. In: hpd.de. September 10, 2015, retrieved September 10, 2015 . 
10. ↑ Fatina Keilani, Christoph Stollowsky: Dances with the Elephants . In: Der Tagesspiegel , September 19, 2013, accessed March 1, 2014.
11. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 239
12. ↑ Information on the participation of the Berlin Zoological Garden in international breeding and nature conservation projects, retrieved on November 18, 2013.
13. ↑ List of sculptures in the Tiergarten district ( memento of December 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
14. ↑ Known as Knautschke . In: Spiegel Online , May 2005
15. ↑ Jens Twiehaus: The dreaming Knut - monument of the polar bear unveiled. In: Hamburger Abendblatt . October 24, 2012, retrieved June 20, 2014 . 
16. ↑ The new restoration and hall buildings in the Zoological Garden in Berlin. In: Deutsche Bauzeitung , Vol. 46 (1912), pp. 1–6, 29–34, online (PDF; 60 MB).
17. ^ " Kaupter 's Zoological Garden Berlin".
18. ↑ Brigitte Schmiemann: Zoo puts farmyard into operation . In: Die Welt , October 31, 2008.
19. ↑ Homepage of the Berlin Zoo, retrieved on January 25, 2018.
20. ↑ Current animal inventory list of Berlin Zoo, retrieved on January 25, 2018.
21. ↑ Annual Report 2016 (PDF) Animal population of Berlin Zoo (PDF).
22. ↑ Annual Report 2015 (PDF) Animal population of Berlin Zoo (PDF).
23. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 440
24. ↑ The Kings of the Air are back. In: Zoo News , May 15, 2018, online .
25. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 205
26. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 229.
27. ↑ Information on the African tower house and the Persian horse house
28. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 267
29. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, pp. 307, 310.
30. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 289
31. ↑ Information on the chicken and pigeon house
32. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Information on keeping elephants in Zoo Berlin at EleWiki. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
33. ↑ zootierliste.de
34. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 217.
35. ↑ Old rhino house to be demolished. Retrieved July 12, 2021 (German). 
36. ↑ Information on the pig house
37. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 275
38. ↑ Construction diary predator house. March 7, 2018, retrieved January 28, 2021 . 
39. ↑ Renovation is to cost 8 million euros: the "toilet charm" is being driven out of the predator house. In: rbb24 . Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg , March 7, 2018, retrieved February 19, 2019 . 
40. ↑ Eye to eye with a lion: The conversion of the predator house in Zoo Berlin has begun. (PDF) In: Press Release. Zoological Garden Berlin AG, March 7, 2018, accessed February 19, 2019 . 
41. ↑ ^{a b} Current Restrictions. In: Website. Zoological Garden Berlin AG, September 27, 2018, accessed February 19, 2019 . 
42. ↑ Information on the year the nocturnal animal house was built (PDF)
43. ^ Klös et al.: Noah 's Ark . 1994, p. 163
44. ↑ Official opening of the enclosure for panda bears in Zoo Berlin. In: Morgenpost.de. 5 July 2017, retrieved 17 February 2019 . 
45. ↑ Panda Garden opens. In: zoo-berlin.de. 5 July 2017, retrieved 17 February 2019 . 
46. ↑ Klös et al.: Arche Noah. 1994, p. 253
47. ↑ Information about the antelope house
48. ↑ Information about the aquarium
49. ↑ Gorilla lady Fatou celebrates with raspberries on pretzel sticks. Report from the Berliner Morgenpost of April 13, 2014, retrieved on January 6, 2022.
50. ↑ Birthday plaque for the world's oldest gorilla. Report from Zoo Berlin from April 13, 2021.
51. ↑ Dreamy baby pandas . At: sueddeutsche.de .
52. ↑ Tears in the zoo: Gorilla man Knorke is dead . In: Berliner Morgenpost , February 14, 2003, accessed October 14, 2013.
53. ↑ Statutes of the Zoological Garden Berlin AG of May 14, 1869 in the amended version of June 18, 2009 (PDF; 64 kB) ( Memento of December 6, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
54. ↑ Annual Accounts and Annual Report 2007 . April 23, 2008 (PDF). ( Memento of December 21, 2008 at the Internet Archive )
55. ↑ Berlin Zoological Garden Foundation
56. ↑ Berlin Zoo forces journalists to report positively . In: Spiegel Online , April 11, 2007.
57. ↑ 3,913 runners at the VOLVO animal park run . ( Memento of 19 December 2014 at the Internet Archive ) At: berlin-laeuft.de , retrieved 19 December 2014.

Coordinates: 52° 30′ 30″  N , 13° 20′ 15″  E