By Oliver Ohmann
The Tiergarten is now in the middle of the city – Berlin’s Central Park. That was not always so. Until the 19th century, the 210-hectare park formed the western border of the city and during the Wall era it was on the eastern edge of West Berlin.
The zoo is about the size of the city-state of Monaco and was first mentioned in 1530. At that time, citizens sold their fields to Elector Joachim I. He then had a hunting ground set up, befitting his status. A high forest with meadows and small ponds in between was designed.
The zoo plan by garden designer Peter Joseph Lenné from 1835 Photo: Wikipedia
In addition, wild animals were released for hunting, including deer, roe deer, wild boar, rabbits and birds. The elector loved the “forest, which is only five hundred paces from the city.”
Two fashionably dressed young women in front of a fountain in the Tiergarten in 1932 Photo: ullstein bild
This is how Harald Neckelmann begins his description of the history of the zoo, from the hunting ground to the city park, which has just been published. “Due to its proximity to the political center of the capital, it was often the scene of historical events,” emphasizes the author, who was born in 1965.
Park and yet in the middle of the city: In 1930, a thick power cable was laid through the Tiergarten Photo: ullstein bild
From 1741, Frederick the Great had the fences torn down and the park transformed into a pleasure garden. The king didn’t like hunting, but he liked the French language all the more. He called the new recreation area, which was now open to Berliners, “Parc de Berlin”.
The book is a journey through five centuries and also looks beyond the park boundaries. Embassies settled around the zoo, Bellevue Palace, the zoo, Reichstag, congress hall, Soviet memorial and much more. In addition, there were always big events, from the Love Parade to the fan mile.
Harald Neckelmann: “Der Tiergarten”, Bebra-Verlag, 192 pages, with many illustrations, 22 euros Photo: promo
The zoo summer can begin with this book – and the animals no longer have to fear for their lives when the Berliners ride in.