Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Berlin Zoo
Hardenbergplatz 8
• Zoo
Daily: late March to mid-Sept 9am-7pm; mid-Sept to late Oct 9am-6pm; late Oct to late March 9am-5pm •
€13; €20 with aquarium
Aquarium
Daily 9am-6pm • €13; €20 with zoo •
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zoo-berlin.de • U- & S-Bahnhof Zoo
Step out east through the main entrance of Zoo Station and you're in a maelstrom of
bright lights, tra
c and high-rise buildings, but walk over the area occupied by the bus
station to the other side of the plaza and you'll find yourself at the gates of the
Berlin Zoo
,
or Zoologischer Garten, which contains a zoo and aquarium. Laid out in 1844 on the
basis of Friedrich Wilhelm IV's private zoo from Pfaueninsel (see p.163), this survived the
destruction of World War II, and subsequent pressure from a local starving populace, to
become one of Europe's most important zoos, with more than 1500 species represented. It's
pleasantly landscaped, with reasonably large compounds for the animals, peaceful nooks for
quietly observing animal behaviour, and lots of benches that make it ideal for picnicking.
Highlights include a large glass-sided hippo-pool and the
Nachttierhaus
, an underground
nocturnal environment whose principal attraction is the bat cave. Sadly, the zoo's most
famous resident is only viewable in the form of a bronze memorial sculpture: this was
Knut
,
a rather adorable polar bear cub. Born in 2007 but rejected by his mother - a one-time
GDR circus bear - he was reared by a zookeeper and became an instant celebrity, even
appearing on the cover of the German edition of
Vanity Fair
, and significantly increased
the zoo's revenue. He died in 2011 by drowning as the result of encephalitis.
he
aquarium
lives up to its international reputation, with more species than any
other in the world. he large, humid crocodile hall is the most memorable section.
Despite the attractive price of the
combined day ticket
, trying to get around both the
zoo and aquarium in a day can be quite a rush.
6
Erotik-Museum
Joachimsthaler Str. 4 • Mon-Wed 9am-10pm, Thurs-Sat 9am-midnight, Sun 11am-10pm • €9; €16 per couple; over-18s only •
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erotikmuseum.de • U- & S-Bahnhof Zoo
he
Erotik-Museum
, a short block south of Bahnhof Zoo, is run by Beate Uhse, a
household name in Germany: once a Luftwaffe test pilot, she began selling sex
education pamphlets after the war and now heads a multi-million-euro corporation
dedicated to all things sexual. Located on two floors above her sex shop, the museum
is really an assemblage rather than an organized exhibition, but with an extensive
collection of prints, paintings and objects - including Japanese silk paintings, Balinese
fertility shrines, Indian reliefs in wood and Chinese bordello tokens, to name but a few.
he assortment of 1920s and 1930s artwork from Europe, including charcoal sketches
of cabaret artist Anita Berber, and pieces by George Grosz and local favourite Heinrich
Zille, is good, suggesting - albeit faintly - something of the atmosphere of Weimar
Berlin. All told though, it doesn't really justify the steep entrance fee.
Breitscheidplatz
A short two-block walk east of Bahnhof Zoo, the angular concrete
Breitscheidplatz
is a magnet for vendors, caricaturists and street musicians, and often hosts fairs and
festivals, including a large Christmas market. On its eastern edge is the rather generic
Europa Center
shopping mall, which was built in the 1960s as a capitalist symbol for
West Berlin, topped by a huge, rotating Mercedes-Benz symbol. An intriguing
sculpture entitled
Flow of Time
, an alternative clock consisting of an elaborate series
of liquid-filled glass pipes, does, however, deserve some attention down in the lobby.
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Daily 9am-7pm; guided tours Mon, Fri & Sat 10.15am, 11am, noon, 1.15pm, 2pm & 3pm, Tues-Thurs 1.15pm, 2pm & 3pm • Free •
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gedaechtniskirche-berlin.de • U-Kurfürstendamm
he focal point of Breitscheidplatz is
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
, one of Berlin's
great landmarks. Built at the end of the nineteenth century, it was destroyed by British
OPPOSITE
KAISER
WILHELM
GEDÄCHTNISKIRCHE >
