Tiergarten

Overview

The Tiergarten is Berlin's 210-hectare central park, stretching from the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin Zoo. A former royal hunting ground since the 16th century, it was redesigned by Peter Joseph Lenné in the 1830s as an English landscape park.

Highlights

• Café am Neuen See: Lakeside beer garden with rowboat rentals — a hidden urban oasis.
• English Garden: Formal tea house and rose garden near the Bundespräsidialamt.
• Diplomatic quarter: Architecturally striking Nordic and Japanese embassy buildings line the southern edge.

History

Devastated in WWII (Berliners felled most trees for firewood in the harsh winter of 1945–46), the park was replanted with donations from German cities. Today it hosts over 2,500 trees of 60+ species.

Visitor Tips

• Cycling: The flat paths are ideal for bicycles; rentals available nearby.
• Memorial trail: Look for memorials to the Sinti and Roma victims and to homosexuals persecuted under Nazism.
• Duration: 1–2 hours for a walk; half a day to explore fully.