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BERLIN ZOO
Germany's Original Great Zoo

Alas, all children grow and so it was with the world’s one time most famous polar bear called Cute Knut. He made the Berlin Zoo the top spot for ahwile, but all cubs grow up. Supplanted in the cute animal wars by a cub at the Nuremburg Zoo, old Knut has moved on for other hunting grounds with the statuary polar bears left to play, but the Berlin Zoo is still one of the German capital city's coolest places to go with plenty of lions, tigers and giraffes.

The Berlin Zoo has certainly seen its way through good times and bad times. First opened in 1844 when the private royal animal menagerie collection of Kaiser Frederick Wilhelm IV was moved from Peacock Island (Pfaueninsel) in the Havel River to some royal land then a distance outside historic Berlin. The animal collection grew under the stewardship of Dr. Ludwig Heck as a variety of animal houses where built in fascinating architectural styles to reflect the origins of the resident. The Moorish Antelope and Giraffe House, Indian style Elephant House, Egyptian Ostrich House where a unique world city to themselves. In 1913 the Berlin Aquarium was opened with not only fresh and salt water fish, but reptiles and amphibians.

The bombs that fell on Berlin in WWII did not spare the zoo or its animals. Not only were many of the structures destroyed but the animals went from over 3,500 to just 91 survivors. During the cold war that saw the city divided into the “island” of West Berlin surrounded by the communist east, the Zoo came to be the center of the surrounded city. Even after reunification, the Zoo with its distinctive oriental Elephant Gate on Budapester Strasse, rebuilt from the bombed original along with several of the unique buildings was the central landmark of West Berlin. The main train station was the Bahnhof Zoolischer Garten or Am Zoo (rail station at the zoo), still a common rail destination virtually just across the street. The city's monument to WWII destruction the old cathedral at the Blaukirch can be seen beyond the gates.

The Berlin Zoo’s animal collection offers the world's broadest variety of species on display in combination with the Berlin Tierpark animal park in the Friedrichsfelde district. The oldest zoo in Germany, the Berlin Zoo continues to add new exhibits in a mix of unique old world and modern design with the 1905 Russian style bison house juxtaposed with the glass domed Hippopotamus House with above and below the water viewing. The zoo provides with activity programs for families and children in multiple languages and a list of feeding times for best viewing.

The Berlin Zoo is easily reached by train or subway, just get off at the Zoolischer Garten station from the S-Bahn S5, S7, S75 and S9 or Kurfürstendamm on the U9 and U 15. The entrance is through the lion gate beyond the train station, the iconic Chinese style Elephant gate is an exit. There is an express bus from the airport which goes to the Zoolischer Station as well. There are pay parking lots in the neighborhood, but a very busy part of the city. Two large parking garages are on Nürnberger Strasse and Budapester Strasse. © Bargain Travel Europe

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Berlin Zoo

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