Berlin Zoo
The History of a Royal Beginning, a Dark Past, Animal Love and Captivity
When was Berlin Zoo founded?
Berlin Zoo opened on August 1, 1844. Its founding was initiated by zoologist Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein, who, with the support of Alexander von Humboldt, persuaded Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV to back the project.
THE BERLIN LOCALS RECOMMEND.
Why is Berlin Zoo historically significant?
Berlin Zoo is the oldest zoo still operating in Germany. Its development reflects almost two centuries of Berlin's history, from the Prussian monarchy and the German Empire through the Nazi dictatorship to Germany's division and reunification.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Opened: August 1, 1844
- Founder and first director: Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein
- Location: Hardenbergplatz, Berlin-Tiergarten
- Area: Approximately 33 hectares
- What makes it special: Germany's oldest zoo still in operation
- Aquarium: Opened in 1913
- Berlin's second major zoo: Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde, opened in 1955
- Key historical events: Human zoos, National Socialism, World War II and post-war reconstruction
- Animal population in 2025: Approximately 21,900 animals representing over 1,000 species
Alright, friends,
Berlin Zoo doesn't really play much of a role in everyday life for most Berliners. The most they usually have to do with it is changing trains at Bahnhof Zoo. Still, I'd say almost everyone who grew up in Berlin went on at least one school trip to the zoo.
Of course, I remember the elephants, tigers and buffalo. Back then, it was simply a fun day out for me. I just didn't know enough to question the conditions the animals were kept in. I can't say whether school classes still visit the zoo in the same way today. I certainly hope they don't just wander around without a guide, going from one caged animal to the next.
These days, I wouldn't visit a zoo myself. The more I learn about what animals feel, how they form bonds and live in social groups, the harder I find it to see their captivity as a form of entertainment.
Still, Berlin Zoo has a history that goes far beyond animal enclosures. And that's exactly what we're going to explore today.
How was Berlin Zoo founded in 1844?
The story doesn't begin with a public attraction, but with the animal collections of the Prussian kings. In 1742, Frederick II had a pheasantry established in what is now the Großer Tiergarten. Later, Frederick William III kept exotic animals on Pfaueninsel.
Zoologist Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein wanted to turn these collections into something new: a garden where living animals could be studied scientifically and displayed to the public.
Alexander von Humboldt supported his plans. In 1841, King Frederick William IV finally provided land, animals and financial support.
On August 1, 1844, Berlin Zoo opened its gates.
At first, though, it was hardly a major attraction. Some of the animal houses were still unfinished, the zoo had only around 100 animals, and the grounds were located far outside the city at the time.
On some days, not a single visitor showed up. So the world-famous zoo we know today actually started out as a difficult-to-reach project with an uncertain financial future.
How did Berlin Zoo become one of the city's major attractions?
The turning point came as Berlin grew throughout the 19th century. In 1845, Berlin citizens formed a joint-stock association to secure the zoo's long-term funding. At first, however, shares sold slowly.
That only changed with the economic boom of the Gründerzeit, Germany's period of rapid industrial expansion. New shares brought in money, and from the 1870s onwards, elaborate animal houses, walking paths and restaurants were built under director Heinrich Bodinus.
The Antilopenhaus, built in 1871/72, is a particularly good example of how closely architecture and animal displays were connected at the time. Animal houses were deliberately designed to look exotic, allowing visitors not only to see animals but also to imagine themselves in a distant world.
The zoo gradually became a popular social gathering place. People came to stroll, listen to music, visit restaurants and watch the animals.
Much like the Lustgarten or, later, Volkspark Friedrichshain, Berlin Zoo became part of the city's leisure culture. But there was one crucial difference: here, living animals were the main attraction.
What role did Berlin Zoo play in German colonialism?
As the German Empire expanded, the zoo became increasingly involved in colonial power structures. Animals were brought to Berlin by colonial officials, traders and members of the imperial family.
Many of these animals were given as gifts and seen as symbols of influence and prestige.
But the zoo's colonial past wasn't just about animals.
Between 1878 and 1932, a total of 25 so-called Völkerschauen (human exhibitions) took place at Berlin Zoo. People from other parts of the world were put on display in front of paying audiences. These events promoted racist ideas and presented human beings as supposedly exotic attractions.
In 1881, members of the Indigenous Kawesqar people from South America were exhibited in the ostrich house. The crowds were sometimes so large that barriers were damaged and the police had to intervene.
The well-known physician Rudolf Virchow examined these people and classified them according to racial categories.
Today, it's hard to imagine events like these taking place in the heart of Berlin. But they show just how deeply colonial and racist thinking was embedded in science and society at the time.
What happened at Berlin Zoo during the Nazi era?
In 1932, Lutz Heck took over as director of Berlin Zoo. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, he did more than simply adapt the institution to the new political situation. He actively supported the regime.
Heck became a supporting member of the SS and maintained close ties with Hermann Göring. Jewish members were pushed out of the supervisory board, while Nazis took over key positions.
In November 1938, the zoo's management decided to explicitly declare Jewish visitors unwelcome. The institution itself was therefore actively involved in their exclusion.
The treatment of Jewish shareholders is particularly disturbing. Many were forced to sell their property as a result of Nazi persecution. The zoo acquired around 100 shares from Jewish owners and attempted to make a profit by reselling them.
The zoo's scientific work was also used to promote Nazi ideology. Together with his brother, Lutz Heck attempted to supposedly recreate the extinct aurochs through selective cattle breeding. The project was linked to the Nazi vision of an original German animal world.
The history of Berlin Zoo therefore cannot be separated from the politics of the Nazi dictatorship.
How was Berlin Zoo destroyed during World War II?
When World War II began in 1939, the zoo initially remained open. At the same time, air raid precautions were put in place, along with measures to deal with the possibility of dangerous animals escaping from their enclosures.
The zoo also used forced labour, including prisoners of war and people deported from occupied European countries.
The air raids in November 1943 were particularly devastating. Large parts of the grounds were destroyed, animal houses burned down and numerous animals died. A total of 750 forced labourers were used for the subsequent clearing of rubble.
The aquarium was also severely damaged. Nevertheless, the zoo reopened in the summer of 1944, before the final battles for Berlin caused further destruction.
By the end of the war in 1945, only 91 animals had survived. Among them were Siam the bull elephant, Suse the chimpanzee and Knautschke the hippopotamus.
As the scars of war became visible around Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz and Berlin's city centre, much of Berlin Zoo also lay in ruins.
Who rebuilt Berlin Zoo after 1945?
After the war, zoologist Katharina Heinroth took over as director, becoming the first female zoo director in Germany.
She faced an enormous challenge: buildings had been destroyed, money and construction materials were scarce, and caring for the surviving animals was difficult.
Heinroth organised the reconstruction, brought in new animals and worked to restore the aquarium and the historic animal houses. She also had to overcome prejudice, as many men on the governing boards doubted that a woman was capable of handling such a task.
Under Heinroth's leadership, the devastated grounds gradually became a public attraction once again.
Her successor, Heinz-Georg Klös, continued expanding the zoo from 1956 onwards. New monkey houses, bear enclosures and the big cat house shaped the zoo's appearance for decades.
Why does Berlin have both Berlin Zoo and Tierpark Berlin?
The answer lies in Germany's division. After the war, Berlin Zoo was located in the British sector and therefore in West Berlin. The East German leadership wanted to establish its own zoological institution in East Berlin.
On July 2, 1955, Tierpark Berlin opened on the grounds of Schlosspark Friedrichsfelde. Under director Heinrich Dathe, it developed into Europe's largest landscape zoo.
Berlin Zoo and Tierpark Berlin became two showcases for competing political systems.
West Berlin's zoo was meant to represent international importance and Western prosperity. East Berlin's Tierpark, meanwhile, stood for the achievements of socialism.
Both institutions benefited from the fact that their political backers wanted to outperform the other half of the city.
After German reunification, the question arose whether Berlin really needed two large zoological institutions in the long term. In 1993, Zoologischer Garten Berlin AG acquired the state's shares in Tierpark Berlin.
Anyone visiting the Gardens of the World today will experience a very different kind of park landscape in eastern Berlin. The history of Tierpark Berlin, however, shows particularly clearly just how much the city's division influenced even the way Berliners spent their free time.
Which animals made Berlin Zoo world-famous?
Some animals became famous far beyond Berlin.
Knautschke the hippopotamus survived World War II and later became a symbol of the city's reconstruction. Bobby the gorilla was already a crowd favourite in the 1930s. His image still features in the zoo's logo today.
In 2006, a polar bear named Knut was born. After his mother rejected him, zookeeper Thomas Dörflein raised him by hand. Knut sparked an international media frenzy and led to a significant increase in visitor numbers. He died in 2011.
Pandas are also part of the zoo's history. In 1980, Bao Bao and Tjen Tjen arrived in West Berlin. Giant pandas have been living at Berlin Zoo again since 2017. In 2019, the first panda twins ever born in Germany arrived here.
But these stories also raise a question: Why do individual animals become celebrities while the living conditions of so many others receive barely any attention?
Are zoos still relevant today?
Berlin Zoo has changed significantly since the 19th century. Many enclosures have been enlarged, old animal houses modernised and wildlife conservation programmes expanded.
For example, the zoo participates in breeding programmes for endangered species. As early as 1923, one of the first international studbooks for European bison was established here. Research and environmental education are also part of its work today.
These are important developments. Still, for me, they don't answer the fundamental question of whether wild animals should spend their entire lives in human care.
Many animal species have complex social relationships, form bonds and have needs that cannot be met through food, enrichment activities and veterinary care alone.
However, how well these needs are met varies considerably depending on the species and the conditions in which the animals are kept.
For me, what matters most is that animals cannot choose where they live or which members of their own species they want to live with.
Of course, zoological institutions can contribute to wildlife conservation. But that doesn't automatically mean that keeping every species in captivity or displaying animals to the public is justified.
My Conclusion on the History of Berlin Zoo
When I think back to my school trips today, I remember the elephants, tigers and buffalo. I had fun and never stopped to think about what those animals might have been missing.
Today, I see things differently.
I believe we need to pay much more attention to what animals feel, how they live together and the freedom they're deprived of. That's why I personally wouldn't visit a zoo anymore.
After all, there are countless other places to explore in Berlin:
Bus 100, for example, runs from Alexanderplatz to Zoologischer Garten, passing many of Berlin's famous sights along the way.
Despite my critical views, I still find the history of Berlin Zoo incredibly important. It's a story of scientific progress and social change, but also of racism, exclusion, war and political exploitation.
You don't have to approve of a place to want to understand its history.
Feel free to check out our blogs about Pfaueninsel, RAW-Gelände, Checkpoint Charlie or Hackesche Höfe.
Berlin isn't a tourist attraction. Berlin is a city.
See you in the real Berlin – or right here in the next blog.
Take care 🖤
BOOK "GESCHICHTE DES ÄLTESTEN ZOOS, ZOOLOGISCHE GARTEN BERLIN" BY CH. LINK VERLAG | BOOK "WEGWEISER DURCH DEN ZOOLOGISCHEN GARTEN BERLIN UND SEIN AQUARIUM" BY FRÄDRICH, HANS | WEBSITE "HTTPS://WWW.ZOO-BERLIN.DE/DE/UEBER-UNS/HISTORIE" | WEBSITE "HTTPS://WWW.TIERPARK-BERLIN.DE/DE/UEBER-UNS/HISTORIE" | MOST IMAGES IN THIS ARTICLE ARE ILLUSTRATIVE AND DO NOT SHOW THE ACTUAL LOCATION.
Entdecke auch unsere Blogs zum Thema Berlin Insider Tipps.
View all-
Bus 100
Bus 100 runs right through Berlin, passing some of the city’s most famous sights along the way. Why I regularly recommended it during my time as a concierge, which stops...
Bus 100
Bus 100 runs right through Berlin, passing some of the city’s most famous sights along the way. Why I regularly recommended it during my time as a concierge, which stops...
-
Bundestag
The Bundestag is about more than its dome and views over Berlin. Find out what really happens in parliament, how you can visit the Bundestag – and why it’s worth...
Bundestag
The Bundestag is about more than its dome and views over Berlin. Find out what really happens in parliament, how you can visit the Bundestag – and why it’s worth...
-
Planetarium Berlin
The Zeiss-Großplanetarium is far more than just stargazing. Find out what to expect at the Berlin Planetarium, why this GDR-era building still impresses today – and whether it’s really worth...
Planetarium Berlin
The Zeiss-Großplanetarium is far more than just stargazing. Find out what to expect at the Berlin Planetarium, why this GDR-era building still impresses today – and whether it’s really worth...
