Great Tiergarten in Berlin. Great Tiergarten (Großer Tiergarten) Central square in the Great Tiergarten park

Tiergarten is a magnificent park in the center of Berlin, one of the largest parks in the world. Its area is, according to the most rough estimates, 210 hectares, the total length of the paths is 30 km. It is part of the Berlin district of Mitte. Under the park is a network of railway and road tunnels leading to the Berlin Central Station, which is located in the neighboring area of Moabit.

History of the park

The park was first mentioned in the sixteenth century, when its territory was the hunting grounds of the Brandenburg electors and kings, hence the name of the park - Tiergarten, which means "menagerie". The first changes took place with the arrival of King Frederick I, from the second half of the 17th century to the beginning of the 18th century, who expanded Unter den Linde, connecting Berlin with the palace in Charlottenburg. This is how the transformation of the Tiergarten from private property into public park... It finally took its current form under Frederick II, who ordered the demolition of the fence separating the park from the city and turn the Tiergarten into an amusement park.

At that time, the territory of the park was occupied by a swamp, which was drained, and on the basis of the existing hunting routes, a radial-star composition of the park was developed, in the center of which was the Big Star square with nine alleys - diverging rays. The area was decorated with baroque flower beds, sculptures, esplanades and other architectural decorations. The central alley, which connected the palace with the park, today is called Street 17 June. In the 1833-40s, the park was redesigned in the English style by the architect Peter Joseph Lanne, forming its final image, turning the park into one of the most remarkable places in Berlin.

During the war years

During the war, the park was incredibly badly destroyed; the park trees were used by local residents to heat their homes.
The first steps in the restoration of the park were made in 1949 when burgomaster Ernst Reute planted a lemon tree in a solemn ceremony. During the division of Berlin, the Tiergarten found itself in the border zone. When the Berlin Wall was destroyed, the park was located in the heart of the metropolis. It was at this time that a serious restoration of the park began, after all, the city center is the face of the city.

Nowadays

Now the park has become the most beautiful place rest for city dwellers, on sunny, warm days there are a lot of people here, people of different ages head to the Tiergarten to escape from the noise of the restless big city... Citizens can spend their free time on the Neuer See - beautiful lake or visit a beer restaurant under open air, which is one of the best pubs in the city.

What to see

But for tourists there is also something to see, there are many interesting sights in the park. For example - Bellevue Palace (Schloss Bellevue) - the castle is located in the northern area of the park. The castle houses the residence of the President of Germany, who is currently Christian Wulff.

The Berlin carillon was built in the park in 1978, next to which is the Grand Duke Square, a monument to Bismarck. On the border with the park are the Brandenburg Gate, a zoo, embassies of various countries, Kulturforum and much more.

Also within the park is the Reichstag building - a building of historical value for Berlin, where meetings of the political body of the same name in Germany were held.

Triumphal column or arch (Siegessдule) - historical monument and a landmark of Berlin, is located on the embankment of the Spree. The architectural project was designed by Heinrich Johann Strack.

The Museum of World Cultures is located on the Spree embankment in the Tiergarten, the center of non-European contemporary art in Germany.

The monument to the Soviet soldier was erected after the surrender of Germany. The statue was cast according to the project of Karbel and Tsigal. To balance the architectural composition, near the Brandenburg Gate on Seventeenth June Street, a small monument to a screaming woman was erected - a monument to relatives who remained on the other side of the Wall.

Visit times and prices

The park itself is open for visits around the clock, however, the operating mode of the site for inspections is strictly regulated.

April-October:
Monday-Sunday: 9: 00-18: 30

November-March:
Monday-Sunday: 9: 00-17: 30
from April to October - from Monday to Sunday 9.00-18.30; November to March - Monday to Sunday 9.00 - 17.30

Entry price

Adults - 1.20 EUR,
Students, schoolchildren - 0.60 EUR,
Children under 12 years old - admission is free.

It should also be borne in mind that at the moment the Bellew Palace is temporarily closed for visiting.

How to get there

The most convenient way to reach the park is by metro on the Hauptbahnhof-Brandenburger Tor line, just three stops from either end. The trip will cost 1.40 EUR, a reduced rate of about 1.10 EUR. On the line Rathaus Steglitz-0sloer StraЯe - the road will take longer and with transfers - from EUR 2.30, reduced tariff - about EUR 1.40. Free travel for children under 6 years old, discount fare - from 6 to 14 years old

It is more than 5000 hectares, and the largest and central park in Berlin is, of course, Tiergarten. The area of the park is over 200 hectares. This green oasis of the city also has an interesting story to tell.

Berlin parks: interesting facts about the Tiergarten

The largest public park in Berlin was not such for a long time, although its territory was actively used. The first mention of Tiergarten dates back to 1521. It was then that it was decided to turn the forest outside the gates of the city into a royal hunting ground. A little later, the site was expanded to the west and north, surrounded by a fence, and for the always successful royal hunt, the territory was populated with wild animals.

Towards the end of the next 17th century and at the beginning of the 18th century, during the reign of Frederick I, it was decided to extend the then existing boulevard Unter den Linden to the west in order to unite with a straight road royal palaces located in Mitte and Charlottenburg. Then it was decided to refine the territory modern park through which the royal road ran.

The son of Frederick I - Frederick II or Frederick the Great - was indifferent to the hunt and ordered to remove the fences, take care of the final design of the park, break the gazebos, lay gravel paths and make the territory accessible to the townspeople. This is how it got its first name - Lustgarten - the first public park in the heart of Berlin.

The second World War did not spare the park: very little remained of it. What remained was quickly used for heating in the early years after the war. In the freed up space, once shady and green, they grew primarily potatoes, as well as other vegetables.

In 1949 it was decided to restore the park. For this, the architects have developed detailed plan planting and arranging Tiergarten. Many cities sent trees and seedlings to Berlin as help and support, without which rapid greening would not have been possible.

During the divided Berlin, the park entered the western part of the city and was for its inhabitants, cut off from the suburbs by the wall, one of the few places for outdoor recreation.

After the unification of Germany and the transfer of the capital to Berlin, the streets bordering the park were rebuilt. So, in the south of the park, the embassy area was restored, and the Scandinavian embassy area adjoining it was also built.

Homosexual tiergarten

Walking in the summer months in the park, you can come across a large clearing, bathed in the sun and strewn with mostly naked male bodies. Yes, here there are representatives of the LGBT community who are not at all different from other vacationers here. Perhaps the lack of clothing. They also have picnics, play badminton or volleyball, read, and simply enjoy the fresh air and tranquility of the park.

While some of the readers, wringing their hands, scream "Decaying Europe!" Already in the 1840s, the police reported regular men's meetings in the park. In 1854, the scientific work of Dr. Jon Ludwig Kasper was published, devoted to a detailed study of the phenomenon of homosexuality. This work is considered the first work in which homosexuality is regarded not as a disease or a crime, but as an innate human property. At the turn of the century, the first homosexual organizations and thematic magazines appear in Berlin. Even then, the districts near Nollendorf Square, as today, become a well-known and recognized homosexual scene in Berlin. By the way, in 2008, in the southeastern part of the park, a monument was erected to representatives of the LGBT community who suffered persecution during the Nazi era.

Tiergarten today

Tiergarten today is a park that stretches from the Brandenburg Gate to the Zoologischer Garten train station or the zoo, which is also located within the park. In the center of the park, at the intersection of the city's main thoroughfares, stands the Berlin Victory Column or Siegessäule. The 69 meter high column is decorated with an 8 meter high statue of the goddess Victoria, to which you can climb and enjoy the panorama of Berlin.

In addition, on the territory of the park there is a monument to the fallen Soviet soldiers, built immediately after the end of the Second World War, the House of Peace Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt),carillon located next toHouse of World Cultures. By the way, the Berlin carillon, consisting of 68 bells, is one of the largest in Europe and the fourth in the world in terms of the number of bells..

Cafe am Neuen See

There are several lakes in the park, some of them, for example the Neuer See, have been refined and there are cafes and restaurants on their shores. One of the best works here in the summer months. On hot days, you can rent a boat and take a boat trip along the park's canals.

It is worth coming here for leisurely walks, for sports activities, for picnics. Shady pedestrian alleys run through the park, convenient bike paths have been laid around the park, allowing you to fly from west to east of the city with practically no traffic lights.

Tiergarten (Berlin, Germany): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews of tourists.

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Tucked away between a large city park and the famous Berlin zoo, the Tiergarten with its winding paths and wooded alleys has long become a favorite place for recreation and entertainment for city dwellers tired of noise and a favorite attraction for numerous tourists.

The Tiergarten, with its provocative works of art and monuments, is essentially the center of informal Berlin. The huge Big Tiergarten park, flea markets and cafes on the lakeside, as well as lawns, ponds, streams, walking paths and park sculpture - what is not a "medicine" prescribed for the frantic pace of life?

The Tiergarten park, which occupies no less than 200 hectares, was laid out in the 16th century as a hunting area, and in the 19th it was converted from a place for royal hunting to landscape park English type. Since then, the Tiergarten Park has been called the "green island in the middle of Berlin".

Walks in the Tiergarten

In addition to the city park, the most important and significant sights for the capital of Germany are located here, including the Victory Column, Bellevue Palace, and the Reichstag. Vladimir Nabokov, a famous Russian-American writer who lived in Berlin in the 1920s, loved walking in the Berlin Zoological Garden, located in the southern part of the Tiergarten. This is the largest and deservedly one of the most best zoos country. It is in the Tiergarten that the residences of high-ranking German officials are located, and nearby is the Ambassadorial Quarter with diplomatic missions of many countries. So, walking along the alleys of the Tiergarten, you can meet not only ordinary townspeople and, by the way, many of our compatriots, but also those whose faces you have already "seemed to have seen somewhere", somewhere in the Novosti program, to example.

The huge Big Tiergarten park, flea markets and cafes on the lakeside, as well as lawns, ponds, streams, walking paths and park sculpture - what is not a "medicine" prescribed for the frantic pace of life?

In the Tiergarten, you will have time to relax, and "see enough", and get gifts for friends and family and, of course, yourself. By the way, at prices that compare favorably with those that you will see in fashion boutiques, flea markets and in Tiergarten shops, you can buy clothes, shoes, dishes, and souvenirs of the same quality as in those most expensive boutiques can also to envy.

What to see

In the northern part of the Tiergarten park is the building of the former congress center of the 1957 International Building Exhibition, erected by the project of American architects. Today it is officially called the House of World Cultures, and unofficially - "the pregnant oyster", since the building stands on the banks of an artificial reservoir and is covered with a curved roof. Various exhibitions and international Music Evenings are held here. And in front of the building - right in the center of the pond - there is a bronze composition "Butterfly" by the British sculptor Henry Moore.

The 68 bells of the Berlin Carillon are considered the largest and heaviest musical instrument in Europe.

Next to the "oyster" rises a tower of black granite 42 m - the Berlin Carillon. There are 68 bells, weighing 47.7 tons, set in motion by hand or using a computer and considered the largest and heaviest musical instrument of its kind in Europe. In the northwest of the Tiergarten rises the 70-meter Victory Column, crowned by the 9-meter figure of the goddess of victory Victoria, whom Berliners call the Golden Elsa.

We can say with confidence that you need to come to Tiergarten with some time and one more battery for the camera - only this is always not enough here.

While walking through the park, we also climbed the Victory Column, which is one of the main attractions of the center of Berlin. The Column will be discussed in my next article.

Information about the Tiergarten park.

Tiergarten Park (its official name- "Big Tiergarten") - the most popular park in Berlin. It is deployed in the area of the same name in the German capital. With an area of 210 hectares, the Tiergarten is among the top three largest urban parks in the country.
The history of the Tiergarten dates back to the 16th century, when this place was the hunting grounds of the local nobility.
The first gardens for public use appeared in the Tiergarten in 1740. This happened at the initiative of the monarch Frederick II.
During and after the Second World War, the Tiergarten park naturally suffered a lot. This also applied to the sculptures that were on its territory, and the trees that went into the furnace due to the lack of coal. The areas formed after the felling were temporarily converted into farms. They were used to grow potatoes and other vegetables for the British occupation forces. Sources indicate that of the 200,000 trees originally growing in the park, only 700 survived the war and the post-war period.
The restoration of the Tiergarten forest after the war began in 1949. During the period 1949-1959, about 250,000 (!!!) trees (seedlings) were planted. They were brought from all over the Federal Republic of Germany (Tiergarten was located in West Berlin). During the blockade of West Berlin, seedlings were even delivered by air.

Location.

Almost in the middle, the Tiergarten park is crossed by one of the main streets of Berlin - the 17th June street. This is the former Charlottenburger Chaussee. It was renamed by the West Berlin authorities in 1953 in honor of the uprising of the East Berlin workers. The uprising took place on 17/06/1953. It was suppressed by the Soviet army and the GDR authorities. The street is the starting point of the famous Berlin Marathon. It starts at Brandenburg Gate, and approximately in the middle of the Tiergarten turns into a circular motion around the Victory Column in a square called Groesser Stern (Big Star). A number of Berlin streets converge at the same place.

Tiergarten on the map.

Zoo in the Tiergarten.

In the north, a part of the natural boundary of the Tiergarten Park is created by the Spree River, and in the south-western part, the park is crossed by the Landwehrkanal canal. It physically separates the Berlin Zoo (35 hectares) from the rest of the park, also part of the Tiergarten. This time we were not in the zoo, but I visited it back in 1995. At that time, I had never seen a zoo better. The Berlin Zoo is considered one of the oldest in the world and one of the largest in Germany.

By the way, there is also a second zoo in Berlin. It is called Friedrichsfelde and it is the zoo with the largest area in Europe. You can read my post about this place.

Bellevue Palace.

Considering the size of the park, we did not manage to get around it all, and we did not set ourselves such a goal. In addition to the tranquility and amazing lack of people in the gardens (after all, the very center of Berlin!), We remember, for example, the Bellevue Palace in the northern part of the Great Tiergarten:

Bellevue Palace was built at the end of the 18th century. Now it is the residence of the President of Germany. They write that if a German flag is raised on the roof of Bellevue, the president is inside, if he is lowered, then he is away. If you look closely at the photo, you can see that at the moment when we were there, the federal president was inside☺. As far as I remember, it was the second public holiday (May 2), the first half of the day, so it comes as no surprise.

They also write that helicopters with the president's guests usually land on the vast lawn in front of the palace. We did not catch this action☺. I read somewhere that Bellevue Palace is open for visits by preliminary group requests of tourists. I can neither confirm nor deny this statement.

I wouldn't say the Tiergarten Park is super well maintained, but most of the places look pretty neat. There are animals in some places☺:

Embankment of the Spree river from the side of the Tiergarten park:

Bismarck Memorial.

Of the sculptural groups on the territory of the Tiergarten, one cannot fail to notice the memorial to the first chancellor of German Imeria Otto von Bismarck, which is located next to the Victory Column:

The chancellor's right hand rests on the treaty for the creation of the German Confederation. The statues around Bismarck are:

Atlas, personifying the strength of Germany on a global scale at the end of the 19th century - during the reign of Bismarck
Siegfried forging a sword - the personification of the country's industrial and military might
Germany, who crushed a panther with his foot - the personification of the suppression of discord and rebellion
Sybil with the gift of prophecy, leaning back on the Sphinx and reading a history book.

This sculptural complex looks very impressive. Remembered.

The monument was created in 1901. Initially, like the Victory Column, it was stationed directly in front of the Reichstag. In 1938, according to Hitler's plan, both monuments were moved from there.

As far as I remember, traces of bullets can be seen on the stone elements of the memorial. This also applies to the Victory Column, where they are generally in abundance.

Monuments to K. Liebknecht and R. Luxemburg.

Initially, there was a desire to find monuments to Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in the Tiergarten park. They are located on the embankment of the Landwehr Canal, on the other side of the Zoo. However, for reasons that I can no longer remember, we did not.

The location of the Luxembourg monument in the Tiergarten is significant in that at this point on the 15/01/1919 canal, Rose (who was arrested at that time, because the authorities believed that the actions of Luxembourg and her associates could lead to civil war in Germany) was shot while being transported by boat, and the body was thrown into the canal.

Duration and expediency of the visit.

Of course, for a detailed acquaintance with all the delights of the Tiergarten (I mean not only the park, but also the Reichstag, etc.), you need to allocate a whole day. We devoted only half a day to him, because our time in Berlin was limited, and the weather that day was cloudy and rather cold. If you have a more favorable situation for walking, then of course you should devote a whole day to the Tiergarten. Or maybe even have a small picnic there!

I would not like to compare and draw direct parallels between the Tiergarten Park and other parks where I happened to be. Everywhere has its pros and cons. Among the significant advantages of the Tiergarten, I would attribute the amazing lack of people, given the location in the very center of the city. Plus the presence of a whole list of sights of a serious scale.

Hello, friends. It's amazing how sometimes time transforms a place, changing its purpose and appearance. The Tiergarten Park in Berlin was once a dense forest, where the cream of society hunted and rode their thoroughbred horses. A lot of wild animals lived here, this is how the name Tiergarten arose, which means "menagerie".

Now the Great Tiergarten or Großer Tiergarten is one of the largest parks in the world. It occupies about 210 hectares, which puts it on a par with such famous parks like Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London.

For the first time, the place where the park is now located was used as a hunting ground at the beginning of the 16th century. From this time on, it is customary to count the history of the Tiergarten.

Travel to the past

In this capacity, the park existed until the end of the 17th century, until Frederick I decided to connect the Charlottenburg Palace with the city. For this, the boulevard Unter den Linden was expanded and the hunting grounds turned into a park, fenced off from the city by a wall.

Under King Frederick II the Great, the park began to look something like the way we see it today. The wall was torn down, and the Tiergarten became a favorite place for entertainment and leisurely walks.

Of course, the transformation of a wild forest into a place of entertainment did not take place overnight. First, all the swamps on its territory were drained, then a general landscape solution came - the park was given the shape of a star. The center of the composition, as now, was the Big Star square. The already existing hunting paths have become park alleys. In the overall composition, they are the "rays" of the star.

Now you, having looked into the Tiergarten after walking around the city, can walk along the ancient hunting trails or lie on the grass in the places where the horns were once blown and the royal hunt rushed. And we.

After the park has acquired its shape, it is time to decorate it. On the territory of the Great Tiergarten, there is enough space for landscape creativity. And the masters of garden and park arts embodied the trends fashionable at that time, diversifying the forest with all kinds of decorative elements. This is how baroque flower beds, cozy teahouses, esplanades and sculptures appeared.

The landscape of the park was decorated in English style in 1833-1840 under the supervision of Peter Joseph Lanne.

By the end of the 19th century, one of the main architectural decorations of the park was erected - the Victory Column monument. The memorial was erected by order of William I, as a reminder of the numerous victories of Prussia, and is located in the very center of the "star."

The Victory Column is an eight-meter column crowned with a sculpture of the goddess of victory Victoria. The townspeople call the goddess "Golden Elsa".

XX century in the life of the Tiergarten

The new century has brought new changes to the park, many of which are associated with sad events.

The central alley connecting the park was renamed 17 June street. The alley received this name in memory of the political strike of 1953, which took place on the territory of the GDR.

The park was expanded to its present size by Hitler, who sought to make Berlin the capital of the world.

During the Second World War, the park was badly damaged. Locals almost all the trees were cut down, trying to warm up their houses.

The restoration of the Tiergarten began in 1949 with the symbolic planting of a lemon tree. After the destruction, the park turned out to be the very center of the renovated metropolis and they began to rebuild it closely.

Attractions Tiergarten

Now the Big Tiergarten is a favorite vacation spot for the townspeople and a popular tourist attraction. Here you can relax on the shores of the Neuer See lake, take a walk with children, have a snack and taste excellent, and rumored to be, the best, capital beer in a local pub.

Tourists are attracted here by numerous attractions.

In the north of the Tiergarten is the Bellew Palace. This representative of neoclassical architecture, located on the banks of the Spree, has served as the residence of the President of Germany since 1994.
Not far from the palace are the famous - the triumphal arch and the only surviving city gate in Berlin.
Column of Victory, which we have already talked about.
It is also located here, where from 1894 to 1933 the organ of the same name held its meetings, and since 1999 the Bundestag has been located.
Museum of World Cultures
Monument to Soviet soldiers, which was erected in the park after the surrender of Germany.

Bellew Palace

Another attraction of the capital is adjacent to the park. It is believed to have a record number of animal species, which is probably why the Berlin Zoo is visited by almost three million tourists every year.

Even under the park there is something interesting - a road tunnel.
In the park, you can not only take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the view of various historically important objects, but also listen to the sounds of the Berlin carillon, which occupies a tower in the northeast of the Tiergarten. This huge musical instrument made of 68 bells and weighs a whopping 48 tons.

Working hours

The park is open around the clock. The entrance to the park is free.

Where to stay in Berlin

Now many housing options in Berlin have appeared on the service Airbnb... We have written how to use this service. If you do not find an available room in the hotel, then look for accommodation through this booking site.

We lived in Adam Hotel, district Charlottenburg. Liked for the value for money.

We offer good options for hotels in Berlin

How to get there

The Tiergarten has several entrances

Metro. Take U-55 Bundestag or U-55 Brandenburger Tor, U-2 Potsdamer Platz, U-9 Hansaplatz.
by city train. Also to the station Brandenburger Tor S-1, S-2, S-25

The Tiergarten Park is located in the historic district of Mitte at Str. des 17. Juni 31, 10785 Berlin.

See Tiergarten on the map

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