Great Tiergarten park, Germany. The Greater Tiergarten in Berlin is the largest park in the capital of Germany. The Greater Tiergarten before and after the war and today

Hello friends. It's amazing how time sometimes 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. There were many wild animals here, which is how the name Tiergarten arose, which means “menagerie”.

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

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

Journey into the past

In this capacity, the park existed until the end of the 17th century, until Frederick I decided to connect Charlottenburg Palace with the city. For this purpose, Unter den Linden Boulevard 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 approximately as we see it today. The wall was demolished, and the Tiergarten became a favorite place for entertainment and leisurely walks.

Of course, the transformation of wild forest into a place for entertainment did not happen 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. Already existing hunting paths became park alleys. In the overall composition they are the “rays” of the star.

Now, when you stop by the Tiergarten after a walk around the city, you can walk along ancient hunting trails or lie on the grass in places where horns once blew and royal hunts took place. and us.

After the park acquired its outline, it was time to decorate it. There is plenty of space for landscape creativity in the Greater Tiergarten. And the masters of landscape gardening embodied the trends that were fashionable at that time, diversifying the forest with all kinds of decorative elements. This is how baroque flower beds, cozy tea houses, esplanades and sculptures appeared.

The park's landscape was designed in English style between 1833 and 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 Wilhelm 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 topped with a sculpture of the goddess of victory, Victoria. The townspeople call the goddess "Golden Elsa".

20th century in the life of 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 June 17 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 current size by Hitler, who sought to make Berlin the capital of the world.

During World War II, the park was heavily damaged. Local residents cut down almost all the trees in an attempt to warm up their homes.

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 renewed metropolis and its restoration began in earnest.

Sights of Tiergarten

Now the Greater Tiergarten is a favorite vacation spot for city residents and a popular attraction among tourists. Here you can relax on the shore of the park lake Neuer See, take a walk with your children, have a snack and try the excellent, and according to rumors, the best, capital beer in the local pub.

Tourists are attracted here by numerous attractions.

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

Belew Palace

• Adjacent to the park is another landmark of the capital -. It is believed that a record number of animal species are represented here, 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 Tiergarten. This one is huge musical instrument made of 68 bells and weighs as much as 48 tons.

Opening hours

The park is open 24 hours a day. 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 a free hotel room, then look for accommodation through this booking site.

We lived in Hotel Adam, Charlottenburg district. I liked it for the price/quality ratio.

We offer good hotel options in Berlin

How to get there

Tiergarten has several entrances

• by metro. By metro line U-55 Bundestag or U-55 Brandenburger Tor, U-2 Potsdamer Platz, U-9 Hansaplatz.
• on the city train. Also to Brandenburger Tor station S-1, S-2, S-25

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

Tiergarten on the map

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Großer Tiergarten – Greater Tiergarten

GPS coordinates: 52° 30" 52"" N, 13° 21" 01"" E

The largest and most famous park in the center of Berlin in the Tiergarten district of the same name. Translated from German it means “zoo”. In the center of the park is one of Berlin’s famous squares – Big Star with Victory Column.

Initially, it was a forest right in front of the city gates, which wealthy citizens used for horseback riding and hunting. Over time, the city grew and the park was surrounded by urban buildings. After this, the park was reconstructed in 1742 under the leadership of Georg Wenceslaus von Knobelsdorff and in 1840 by Peter Joseph Lenne.

During World War II, the Greater Tiergarten park suffered greatly; many trees were cut down and used for firewood. In 1949, restoration of the park began when Mayor Ernst Reuther personally planted a lemon tree here. After that others German cities presented seedlings as a gift to Berlin. A list of these cities is on a memorial stone installed on the main alley.

Now the Great Tiergarten park has an area of ​​210 hectares and stretches from west to east for more than 2.5 km. 17 June Street crosses along it, leading from. In the center of the park it intersects with several more highways in the shape of a star, forming a square called Big Star.

The square was founded by the court huntsman of Frederick I, Gemmrich, in 1698. During the reconstruction of the Tiergarten park, it acquired its modern look. In 1938, for the 50th anniversary of Hitler, it was moved here Victory Column. The column was originally built under William I in 1873 in honor of the victories of Prussia in the Danish, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian War and was located on Royal Square (now Republic Square in front of).

The height of the column is 67 m. On its top there is a sculpture of the goddess of victory Victoria, 8.3 m high, covered with gold, for which it is popularly nicknamed “Golden Elsa”. At an altitude of 48 m there is observation deck, where you can climb the stairs inside the column. At the bottom of the column there is a small historical museum. In the northern part of the square there is a monument to Otto von Bismarck, also moved here along with the Victory Column in 1937 from the Royal Square.

Other major streets in Berlin exit from the Big Star Square: Hofegerallee to the south, Altonaer Strasse to the northwest. Approximately 250 meters northeast of the Big Star is Bellevue Palace, which houses the residence of the federal president. The palace was built by the architect Michael Philipp Bouman in 1786 as a summer residence for Prince Augustus Ferdinand, the younger brother of Frederick II. The interior of the palace was restored after destruction in World War II according to original sketches.

On the northeastern edge of the park there is an unusual building in the shape of an open shell. This - Congress Hall, built in 1958. Now it houses the House of World Cultures - a center for contemporary non-European art, founded in 1989. Exhibitions, concerts, and film screenings of artists from Asia, Africa and South America. The annual festival of arts and digital culture Transmediale was also held here several times.

On 17 June Street in the eastern part of the park, approximately 350 meters from memorial to soviet soldiers who died in World War II. It was erected in 1945 by the architect Sergievsky and sculptors Lev Kerbel and Vladimir Tsigal. Behind the monument there is a burial place of approximately 2-2.5 thousand fallen soldiers. This is one of three monuments in memory of a total of 20 thousand Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle of Berlin. The other two are the monument to the Soldier-Liberator in Treptower Park and in Schönholzer Heide in the Pankow district.

In the southwestern part of the Great Tiergarten park there is Lake Neuer, where you can go boating in summer and ice skating in winter. Here is also one of the best beer restaurants under open air in the city.

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

History of the park

The park was first mentioned in the sixteenth century, when its territory was the hunting ground of the Brandenburg electors and kings, hence the name of the park - Tiergarten, which means “menagerie”. The first changes occurred with the arrival of King Frederick I, from the second half of the 17th to the beginning of the 18th century, who expanded Unter den Linde, connecting Berlin with the palace in Charlottenburg. Thus began the transformation of the Tiergarten from private property into a 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 turning the Tiergarten into an amusement park.

At that time, the territory of the park was occupied by a swamp, which was drained, and based on the existing hunting routes, a radial-star composition of the park was developed, in the center of which there was the Big Star Square with nine alleys - diverging rays. The territory was decorated with baroque flower beds, sculptures, esplanades, and other architectural decorations. The central alley connecting the palace with the park is today “17 June Street”. 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 wonderful places in Berlin.

During the war years

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

Nowadays

Now the park has become a wonderful vacation spot for city residents; on sunny, warm days it is full of people, people of all ages head to the Tiergarten to escape from the noise of the restless big city. Citizens can spend their free time on the shores of Neuer See, a beautiful lake, or visit an open-air beer restaurant, which is one of the city's best pubs.

What to see

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


The Berlin Carillon was built in the park in 1978, close to which are the Grand Duke's Square and the Bismarck monument. On the border with the park there are the Brandenburg Gate, a zoo, embassy missions of various countries, the Cultural Forum and much more.

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

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

The Museum of World Cultures is located on the Spree embankment in 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 design of Kerbel and Tsigal. For balance architectural composition, near the Brandenburg Gate on the Seventeenth of June Street, a small monument to a screaming woman was erected - a monument to the relatives who remained on the other side of the Wall.

Visiting times and prices

The park itself is open for visits around the clock, however, the operating hours of the inspection site are strictly regulated.

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

November-March:
Monday-Sunday: 9:00-17:30
from April to October - Monday to Sunday 9.00-18.30; from 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 is also worth considering that at the moment the Belew Palace is temporarily closed to the public.

How to get there

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

The Greater Tiergarten is a large park area in the center of Berlin. The area of ​​the Greater Tiergarten is 210 hectares.

Please note: Due to the similarity of names, confusion of concepts often occurs. There are the Greater Tiergarten (the park in question), the administrative district of Berlin (which is called Tiergarten), the Little Tiergarten park and the Berlin Zoo (which in German is called Tierpark), located on the territory of the greater Tiergarten.

The Greater Tiergarten is today called the green heart of Berlin. This is one of the three largest parks in Germany. Both citizens and guests of the German capital like to spend their free time here. In the park you can walk along numerous paths, sunbathe on the lawns and have picnics.

Historically, for a long time this place was the hunting ground of the Brandenburg electors. To ensure a successful hunt for the highest officials of the state, wild animals were specially released here. A huge area of ​​the forest was fenced off so that animals could not run out of the territory where the hunt was taking place. This is where the name comes from - Tiergarten, literally translated from German, means “Animal Park”.

During the reign of the Prussian King Frederick I, several roads were built through the forest, connecting Berlin with the new Charlottenburg Palace and other territories. With the beginning of the reign of Frederick the Great, in the middle of the 18th century, who did not like hunting, the hunting grounds ceased to exist.

In 1742, Frederick the Great ordered his court architect Georg Wenzelaus von Knobelsdorff to build an amusement park for the people on the site of Tiergarten. Knobelsdorff removes barriers and lays out a park in the Baroque style - flower beds are organized, plants are planted in geometric proportions, artificial ponds and reservoirs are laid, sculptures, gazebos, fountains and benches are installed along the paths. At the same time, a Pheasant Farm was opened in Tiergarten for the entertainment of the public, from which the Berlin Zoo would later grow.

Since the end of the 18th century, changes have been taking place in park fashion - the Baroque is replacing the ideals of the English landscape park. Court gardeners Justus Ehrenreich Zello and Peter Joseph Lenne are decorating the Tiergarten in a new way. The swampy forest areas of the park are being drained, and paths for horseback riding and walking are being laid everywhere. Instead of flower beds, lawns and clearings appear, in ponds there are islands with numerous bridges leading to them, and a rose garden opens up. In this form, the Great Tiergarten existed without changes until the end of the 19th century.

At the end of the 19th century, in connection with new trends, numerous monuments were erected in the park - to Queen Louise and her husband Friedrich Wilhelm III, writers Goethe, Lessing, Fontana, composers Richard Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn.

During Nazi Germany, the Tiergarten was included in the plan to rebuild Berlin into the "Germany Capital of the World". The Charlottenburg Highway (now 17 June Street) was widened by 15 meters, and the Victory Column was moved to the center of Tiergarten.

After the end of World War II, due to a shortage of coal, trees from the Tiergarten were used as fuel. Of the 200 thousand trees in the park, only 700 remained. Vegetable gardens were set up in the free areas.

Since 1961, the Tiergarten has been gradually restored. Reservoirs were cleaned, trees were planted, bridges, monuments and paths were repaired. After the reunification of Germany in 1991, the Greater Tiergarten was placed under state protection as a monument of landscape art.

Interesting places in the Greater Tiergarten park

A day is not enough to see all corners of the park.

Berlin Zoo

On the territory of the Greater Tiergarten is the Berlin Zoo (Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Berlin Zoological Garden or Tierpark). It covers an area of ​​35 hectares and is one of the largest zoos in Germany. The variety of species represented at the Berlin Zoo is amazing - approximately 15,000 animals of 1,500 species). The Berlin Zoo is one of the city's main attractions.

In 1945, the Memorial to Fallen Soviet Soldiers was erected in Tiergarten, in memory of Soviet soldiers who died in the battles of World War II. Main entrance The memorial is located on the side of the street on June 17th. Here are located two Soviet T-34 tanks, the first to enter the city in 1945, as well as two cannons that proclaimed the end of the Battle of Berlin with their salvos. The names of officers who fell in Berlin between April 14 and May 1, 1945, and who were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union,” are engraved on two stone sarcophagi. On a pedestal in the center of a semicircle of columns there is a bronze statue of a Red Army soldier. More than 2,000 Soviet soldiers are buried here.

English garden

At the suggestion of the British commandant of Berlin, General Geoffrey Bourne, 5,000 trees, donated by King George VI of Great Britain, were planted in the Tiergarten destroyed by World War II. This southwestern part of the Tiergarten is called the English Garden. Now there is an interesting park area on an area of ​​40 hectares.

New Lake (Der Neue See)

The new lake is a large artificial reservoir. There are walking paths around it. There is a traditional cafe on the shore of the lake, this favorite place meetings in the Greater Tiergarten. On hot summer days Big Lake You can rent a boat and take a boat trip on the lake.

Victory Column

In the center of Tiergarten on Großer Stern Square there is the Victory Column. With her observation deck there is a beautiful view of the entire park and the city.

Bellevue Palace

Bellevue Palace, located on the banks of the Spree River in the northern part of Tierganten, was built in 1786 by the architect Michael Philipp Bouman as summer residence Prince August Ferdinand, younger brother of the Prussian King Frederick II. Today it houses the residence and administration of the German Bundespresident.

Locks on the Landwehrkanal (Schleuse am Landwehrkanal)

The bridge allows you to cross the Landwehr Canal and watch ships pass through the locks. Right on the territory of the lock there is a popular restaurant called Schleusenkrug.

House of World Cultures

In the northeast of Tiergarten is the House of World Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt). It is a center for contemporary non-European art. The House of World Cultures was founded in 1989 in the Congress Hall building. The House of World Cultures hosts fine art exhibitions, film screenings, music concerts, dance and theater performances by artists from various countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

Gaslamp Museum

The Gaslamp Museum is located in the west of the Greater Tiergarten. The lanterns collected here were manufactured between 1826 and 1956 and previously illuminated the streets of 25 German cities and 11 cities in other European countries.

Carillon (Das Carillon)

The Great Tiergarten Carillon (bell tower) was installed in Tiergarten in 1985. With its 68 bells, it is the largest carillon in the world. The bell melodies span five and a half octaves.

Monuments in the Greater Tiergarten

In addition to historical sculptures, there are several small monuments installed in the Greater Tiergarten.

• Not far from New Lake there is a memorial stele commemorating the murder of Karl Liebknecht.
• On the path near the Liechtenstein bridge there is a monument to Rosa Luxemburg.
• On the Tiergarten street there is a monument to the victims of the Nazi murders of people with disabilities (Gedenk- und Informationsort für die Opfer der nationalsozialistischen “Euthanasie”-Morde).
• To the south of the Reichstag there are monuments to the victims of Nazism - gypsies, Jews, as well as people of non-traditional sexual orientation.

Operating mode

The Great Tiergarten park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Entrance to the park is free.

The Grand Carillon gives concerts in the summer every Sunday at 15:00.

How to get there

The Tiergarten park is located in the very center of Berlin. It is convenient to get to it by any type of transport.

By public transport

You can get to the Greater Tiergarten by metro, tram, S-Bahn or bus.

From the zoo side

• By U-Bahn: Metro line U5 to Tierpark station.
• By tram: Routes M17, 27, 37 to the Tierpark stop.
• By bus: routes 296, 396 to the Tierpark stop.

From the Palace (Schloss)

• By tram: M17, 27, 37 to the Palace stop.
• By bus: route 194 to the Palace stop.

From the side of the Victory Column

• By metro (U-Bahn): line U9 to the Hanseplatz stop.
• By bus: 100.187, 106, N26 to the Großer Stern stop.

• By city train Esbahn (S-Bahn): lines 1,2, 25 to the Brandenburg Gate stop.
• By metro (U-Bahn): U5 from main railway station(Hauptbahnhof).
• By bus (Bus): M 41, M 85, TXL, 120, 123,147,240, 245) to the Brandenburg Gate stop.

By car

It is possible to park your car in the area of ​​the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Zoo or Victory Column.

At the Berlin Zoo There is a large parking lot at Am Tierpark 125. Tariff: 4 euros per entry, no time limit.

From the side of the Victory Column

Stadt Berlin - free parking for 27 spaces at the intersection of Klopstockstraße and Altonaer Straße, it is an 18-minute walk to the Victory Column.

Parking conditions:

• two hours of free parking every day around the clock,
• except Friday from 8.00. until 20.00.

Lützow Center Berlin - parking in shopping center at: Lützowufer 26, Tiergarten.

Parking conditions:

• Daily rate: Mon.-Sun. from 09.00. to 20.00: 30 min. - 0.50 euros, additional hour - 2.00 euros, maximum tariff - 16.00 euros.
• Night rate: Mon. - Sun. from 20.00. until 09.00: 1 hour - 1.00 euros, additional hour - 0.50 euros, maximum rate - 3.00 euros.

From the Brandenburg Gate

Internationales Handelszentrum (IHZ) Surface multi-level parking with 494 spaces.

Opening hours: Mon.-Sun. — around the clock Address: Dorotheenstraße 30.

• 1 hour - 2.00 euros,
• 2 hours - 4.00 euros,
• 3 hours - 5.50 euros,
• 4 hours - 7.00 euros,
• additional hour - 1.00 euros,
• 24 hours - 15.00 euros,
• 1 month - 100.00 euros.

Maritin Pro-arte Hotel. Surface parking for 120 spaces.

Opening hours: Mon. - Sun. - around the clock. Address: Friedrichstrasse 151.

• 1 hour - 4.50 euros,
• 24 hours - 28.00 euros.

By taxi

It is convenient to get to the Greater Tiergarten by Uber or Berlin Taxi.

Video about the Greater Tiergarten

The Tiergarten park was once a forest where wealthy city residents hunted or went horseback riding. This is the largest park in Berlin, its area is 210 hectares.

In the center of Tiergarten, on Big Star Square, there is a monument - the 67-meter Victory Column, which was erected here in honor of Prussian victories in several wars of the 1860-70s. At the top of the column is a gilded statue of the goddess Victoria, and its base is decorated with battle scenes. At the Big Star Square, several of Berlin's main highways intersect and pass through the park.

Neat lawns are adjacent to natural vegetation and meadows, and restored sculptures of famous personalities, such as Goethe, Beethoven, Wagner, with old dilapidated monuments.

One of the main attractions here is the Lutheran church - the Church of St. Matthew. It was there that Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who later participated in the anti-Nazi conspiracy, was ordained.

Tiergarten is also home to Bellevue Palace, where the residence of the German President is located. In the north-eastern part of the park you can see the unusual building of the Congress Hall, which now houses the House of World Cultures.

In winter, an ice skating rink opens in the Tiergarten park.

How to get there: There are several metro stations near the entrances to the park. The closest ones are Bundestag, Potsdamer Platz and Hansaplatz. Next to the Victory Column in the center of the park there is a Grosse Stern bus stop (100, 106, 187, N26).