Tiergarten Park in October, Berlin

From the Brandenburg Gate, I continued my walk in a straight line along the Straße des 17. Juni highway, which cuts into two parts a huge green massif called the Großer Tiergarten. It is the largest public park in Berlin, covering an area of 210 hectares.

The park got its name from the hunting grounds of the electors of Brandenburg, it was a fenced area of the forest, where wild animals were launched.

In the middle of the 18th century, Frederick II, who did not like hunting, ordered a public park to be built on this site. Under the direction of the court architect Georg Knobelsdorf, symmetrical alleys with benches were laid, artificial ponds, fountains and sculptures were arranged, gazebos and flower beds were built.

In 1904, at the direction of Kaiser Wilhelm II, four sculptures depicting hunting scenes were installed in the Tiergarten as a reminder of the Hohenzollern hunting grounds. The sculptures are cast in bronze at the Lauchhammer factory. On the Pfsanerieallee near the Big Star Square (Großer Stern) is a sculpture of the Eber Hunt of the Renaissance period around 1500 (Eberjagd der Renaissancezeit um 1500) by Karl Begas (Karl Begas), better known as the"Wild Boar Hunt".

On Fasanerieallee you can see the sculpture" Bull Hunt " (Altgermanische Wisentjagd) by Fritz Schaper.

In the western part of the park, an entertainment area was set up, which later returned to the Berlin Zoo. Under the Nazis, the Victory Column was moved from the Königsplatz to the center of the Tiergarten.

After the war, Berlin was divided into occupation zones between the Allies and the Tiergarten ended up in West Berlin. As a result of the blockade of West Berlin by Soviet troops, residents were left without food and fuel and were forced to cut down Tiergarten trees for firewood. Thus, two-thirds of the old forest was destroyed. Restoration of the park began in 1961 and continues to this day.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to explore the park, although on this October day I was ready for a leisurely walk and it was very beautiful around. I can't say anything about attendance, the park seemed very deserted to me.