Best Gardens and Parks of Berlin
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Until they travel there, few people realize that Berlin is one of the continent’s greenest capitals. The expansive Tiergarten, the one-time hunting reserve, lies in the heart of the city, but Berlin’s various districts also boast exquisite gardens and parks infused with scenic beauty such as rivers, lakes, and forest trails. Although Berlin offers many metropolitan and cultural sites and attractions, it has a natural side that should not be missed. The Tiergarten, with its nearly five hundred acres, is Berlin’s largest park. Historically this small forest was used as hunting grounds for the Electors of Brandenburg. However, it was redesigned in the 1830s into a park by the landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenne. WWII inflicted considerable damage on the park, but new plantings around the surviving monuments form the basis of the lovely area it is today. Visitors should be sure to see its Neue Partie pond, the natural environment of Langgraswiese, and the Victory Column. The garden and grounds of Charlottenburg Palace, located in the Charlottenburg district, is a popular Berlin attraction. Designed in the French Baroque style, the palace and its gardens are important city attractions. Simeon Godeau designed the grounds in 1697 and it became famous for its avenues, moats, and geometric patterns. Other notable features of the park include a Doric temple, the palace mausoleum, and a teahouse that was added by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1790. The city’s best-loved site by children is also the oldest and most popular zoo in Germany. Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten, located in the city’s Tiergarten section, is home to more than 14,000 animals that represent nearly 1,500 species making it one of the most revered collections in the world. The zoo also boasts an aquarium that was built in 1913. Approximately three million people from all across the world visit the zoo each year. The zoo is located upon eighty-six acres and designed in keeping with the animals’ natural habitats. The city’s botanical garden, or Botanischer Garten as it is known in Berlin, is regarded as one of the world’s most important. The garden boasts 22,000 different plant species and spans more than one hundred acres. Associated with the Free University of Berlin, the garden also has a botanical museum, herbarium, and a library. Beautiful glass houses dot the garden and are filled with botanicals; the Cactus Pavilion is a popular house in the garden. The Pavilion Victoria features giant water lilies and is a main garden attraction. Of course, the star pavilion is the Great Pavilion which is the world’s largest glass house and home to giant bamboo. Designed by Peter Joseph Lenne and Prince von Puckler-Muskau, the Babelsberg Park (of Babelsberg Palace) offers extraordinary views of the Havel River, Jungfernsee Lakes, and Glienicker Brucke Bridge. Once the summer home of Emperor Wilhelm I, the whole of the grounds lie within the Potsdam city limits. The towers and pavilions that dot the park offer romantic views of the enchanting landscape. Located in the Kreuzberg district, Viktoriapark is noted for its exquisite waterfalls and vineyard. The vineyard produces roughly six hundred bottles of wine (Kreuz-Neroberger) annually. Designed by Hermann Machtig and completed in 1894, the sprawling park is also popular for its short trails and its unsurpassed views of central and southern Berlin. A famous Prussian monument commemorating victory against Napoleon’s army is also located in Viktoriapark. Britzer Garten is located toward the south of Berlin and is more than 220 acres. The lovely park with its lakes and hills surrounds the Schloss Britz, a palace that houses a present-day museum and also a venue for concerts and special events. The park’s playgrounds are appealing to children while the rose garden is one of its most attractive features of the landscape. The Karl Foerster Pavilion is one of the architectural highlights of the park. All of these parks are easily accessible to travelers and are highly popular among Berliners themselves. About the Author
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