{"id":22319,"date":"2023-02-27T10:31:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T09:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=22319"},"modified":"2023-02-27T10:31:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T09:31:56","slug":"great-tiergarten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/germany\/berlin\/great-tiergarten\/","title":{"rendered":"Stroll through the Great Tiergarten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the largest and most central parks in Berlin is the Gro\u00dfer Tiergarten (Great Tiergarten)in the Mitte district. The park covers 210 hectares and is crossed by several main roads that meet at the Gro\u00dfer Stern with the Victory Column. You need time to walk through the Great Tiergarten, or you can choose smaller and smaller areas and discover the park bit by bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

History of the Great Tiergarten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 1527, the first Tiergarten was created near the Berlin Palace, west of the C\u00f6lln city wall. Through the acquisition of further areas, the Tiergarten expanded to the boundaries of today’s Tiergarten. The then Elector of Brandenburg had the area fenced off, released animals and used the Tiergarten as a hunting ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Spaziergang<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As Berlin grew, the Tiergarten became smaller over time. Frederick I had the first structures created during his reign that are still visible today. A wide aisle was created as an extension of the avenue “Unter den Linden”, which created a connection between the City Palace and Charlottenburg Palace. The Gro\u00dfe Stern was also created at this time; 8 avenues met here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frederick the Great had the Tiergarten transformed into a pleasure garden for the people. The fences disappeared, flowerbeds, fountains and water basins were laid out. Sculptures were given a place in the grounds and visitors could relax on seats. The newly built pheasantry is considered the origin of the zoological garden, which was opened in 1844.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blumenwiese\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Friedrich Wilhelm III commissioned Lenn\u00e9 to redesign the zoo. From 1833-40, a landscape park was created based on the English model. Damp woodland areas were drained, bridle paths, bridleways and footpaths were laid out and wide lawns were created, interrupted by watercourses and crossed by bridges. New ornamental gardens were created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development of the Tiergarten from the 20th century onwards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The park remained almost unchanged in this form until the middle of the 20th century. Only the monuments changed somewhat and the Victory Avenue, a magnificent boulevard, was completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the National Socialist era, the Tiergarten was included in the urban planning of the “New Berlin”. The east-west axis was widened from 27 to 53 metres and the Victory Column was placed on the Gro\u00dfer Stern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Second World War, Allied air raids severely damaged the Tiergarten. In the post-war period, it was the Berliners who cut down the trees and burned them and later used the open spaces as farmland. The British occupation forces authorised 2550 plots to supply the population with home-grown vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, the zoo presented a sad picture. Of the 200,000 trees that once stood, 700 were still standing, the waterways were silted up, the bridges destroyed, the monuments toppled. As part of an emergency programme, the Tiergarten was rebuilt from 1949-59. From all over Germany, 250,000 young trees were brought to the city to be planted. This created a local recreation area that became irreplaceable for West Berliners, who could no longer easily travel to the surrounding area after 1961.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wiesenfl\u00e4che<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After reunification in 1990, it was mainly the edge of the Tiergarten that changed; the Great Tiergarten itself has been protected as a garden monument since 1991 and it has been possible to reconstruct some neglected areas according to historical plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk through the Great Tiergarten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Great Tiergarten is large and there is a lot to discover. During our walks through the park, we discovered a few places that we would like to introduce. The exact locations are shown on the map.
Our tip: Just start walking and discover the Gro\u00dfer Tiergarten and the sights on the edge of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand Prince’s Square with Triton Fountain and the “German Streams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Gro\u00dff\u00fcrstenplatz is located in the part of the Great Tiergarten facing the Spree. Prince Ferdinand of Prussia had the square laid out in 1776. The semicircular square was given the name Gro\u00dff\u00fcrstenplatz because a public festival was held here in honour of the engagement of the Russian Grand Duke Paul to Sophie Dorothee of W\u00fcrttemberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gro\u00dff\u00fcrstenplatz
Tritonbrunnen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The square was restored in 1987 and today the Triton Fountain and the four allegories of the “German Rivers” made of sandstone and transferred here from the former King’s Bridge (1882) can still be found on the square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The “German Rivers” monuments symbolise the Vistula, Oder, Elbe and Rhine rivers. To the right and left of each of the main figures are two more figures to symbolise the river landscapes. They stand in a semicircle at the edge of the square. In the centre is the Triton Fountain. Here, the Greek deity Triton kneels and holds a water-spouting fish in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gro\u00dff\u00fcrstenplatz
Standbild der Rhein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I’ll be honest, if I hadn’t read what the four monuments are supposed to represent, I wouldn’t have thought of it when looking at the artistic works. But I like them even without knowing what they mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flora Square with Amazon and animal sculptures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Floraplatz still reflects something of the baroque design of the original Tiergarten. Originally, the Flora statue stood in the middle of the square and six paths led off from the round square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amazone
Amazone auf dem Floraplatz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sculpture that gave the square its name was erected there in 1796 and dismantled in 1906. The original is badly damaged and a copy has been placed in the rose garden. Instead of Flora, the Amazone on horseback was placed in the centre of the square in 1906. The woman sitting on the horse looks proud and I would not have been surprised if she had suddenly galloped off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Gro\u00dfer
Elch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Floraplatz
Stier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Statue
Wapi-Hirch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today there are several animal figures around Floraplatz. These had already been erected in the Tiergarten during the time of Kaiser Wilhelm II and were intended to point out the park’s importance as a hunting ground. After the Second World War, the bear and the bull disappeared and the six other animals initially found a new place in the park. In the meantime, the two reclining bison, the two Wapi deer, two elk and the bear and bull are back at Floraplatz as replicas. I find these sculptures very impressive and realistically crafted, almost as if I were walking past living animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venus Basin and the Musicians’ Monument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Venus Basin was originally a baroque rectangular basin with a Venus statue at one end. Later, the Berliners called the basin Goldfish Pond for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Venusbecken\"
Venusbecken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lenn\u00e9 restored the basin to its original form, but the emperor stipulated that the Venus should make way for the Musicians’ Monument. Due to changes in the street layout after the Second World War, the Venus basin could not be preserved at first. In 2009, after the street layout was changed again, the basin was restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven-Denkmal\"
Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven-Denkmal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Haydn-Mozart-Beethoven Monument, or Musicians’ Monument for short, stands directly on the basin. It is made of white marble and crowned by three golden cherubs. The bright white colour alone makes this monument particularly striking. I found it very amazing that the musicians are only depicted from the waist up. From the monument, a path leads around the basin. It is pleasantly cool here, especially in summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monuments in the Great Tiergarten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have already mentioned some of the monuments in the Great Tiergarten. But there are many more in the park. Supposedly there are almost 100 art monuments and objects from the different artistic periods to be found. There are monuments, sculptures, fountains, art and places of remembrance of many artists, some still in their original state, others as copies. There are monuments to rulers and their families, monuments to German poets and composers, animal sculptures and hunting scenes. If you go in search of traces in the Great Zoo, you will discover a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also discovered some of the monuments during our walk through the Gro\u00dfer Tiergarten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunting group<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether you like them or find them rather cruel is up to you – in any case, the four art monuments of the hunting group document the original use of the zoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Jagdgruppe
Hasenjagd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Jagdgruppen
Fuchsjagd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the grass strip of the pheasant avenue are the “Fox Hunt”, the “Hare Hunt”, the “Buffalo Hunt” and the “Boar Hunt”. I have to admit that I don’t particularly like these works of art. The scenes are dramatically and brutally depicted and show the neo-baroque style as it was represented at that time. Today, an artist who depicts scenes in this way would certainly face a lot of opposition from the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jagdgruppe
Eberjagd der Renaissancezeit und Altgermanische B\u00fcffeljagd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fontane Monument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The last great personal monument of the Berlin school of sculpture is by Theodor Fontane. It was created in 1910 and ended a series of monuments to famous poets and composers. There is a copy of the monument in the Great Tiergarten, the original is in the M\u00e4rkisches Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fontane-Denkmal
Theodor Fontane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Theodor Fontane wears a hat and has a cane. He looks like a walker and is thus meant to remind us of his work “Wanderung durch die Mark Brandenburg”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure group \u201eDas deutsche Volkslied\u201c<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can’t hear it, but a young girl plucks on her harp and plays old German songs. The muse of music, Polyhymnia embraces the child making music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Figurengruppe
“Deutsches Volkslied”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The monument was made of marble, shell limestone and granite in 1875. Today, a copy stands in the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goethe Monument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1876, the Goethe Monument in the Great Tiergarten was unveiled. It had taken almost 20 years to complete the monument made of Carrara marble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Goethe
Goethe Denkmal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Goethe is depicted as a man of about 40 years. Around the pedestal are several figures representing allegories. Allegedly, they are the allegory of lyrical poetry with Cupid, the allegory of dramatic poetry with the genius of death and the allegory of scientific research with the genius of truth. I have to believe that, I wouldn’t have recognised it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 1981\/82, the monument was completely dismantled to protect it from the increasing environmental influences. In the meantime, a concrete cast replaced the original, and since 2010 the restored monument has been back in its place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Stone Project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Quite unlike traditional monuments, the Global Stone project is modern and non-figurative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Global
Global Stone Projekt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the dry grass surface of the “Great Grove” lie stones in different sizes and different arrangements. The artist chose two stones on each continent. One of them he left in the country of origin, the other he brought to Berlin. On 21 June, at the summer solstice, the light reflects off the polished reflective surfaces and connects the stones with each other. This is how the artist wants to depict the interconnectedness of the continents. In addition, each stone is assigned a theme: Awakening (Europe), Hope (Africa), Forgiveness (Asia), Love (America) and Peace (Australia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Berliner
Global Stone Projekt: Asien<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On my walk through the Great Tiergarten, this project attracted many more viewers than the traditional monuments. I also found it exciting to feel the different stones. Each type has its own texture, felt differently warm and was simply unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historic Bridges in the Great Tiergarten<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The GreatTiergarten is characterised by a water landscape with small islands and lakes. This makes it necessary for the extensive network of paths to have bridges over the bodies of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the bridges are beautifully designed and there are also some historic bridges that are really worth seeing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n