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It all started back in 1795 with a park of waterfalls, fountains and a
grotto. 133 years later, animal lover Bruno Schulz opened the first
enclosure for native animals together with the leased café next to the
waterfalls and turned this into a popular attraction. His lifework was
destroyed in 1945 by fleeing units of the Waffen-SS. From 1957 onwards,
his son Günter Schulz established an animal park for native animals, the
later animal park Eberswalde, and brought his father’s work back to
life.
His successor, Dr. Bernd
Hensch, who in 1989 was appointed director of the Eberswalde zoological
garden, introduced new tasks: Environmental education, nature and
species protection and biological scientific research, good views for
visitors into open-air enclosures, animal enclosures designed in harmony
with nature, attractive recreational facilities, barrier-free enclosures
and most of all, fascinating species from five continents. In 2000, an
international jury assessed Eberswalde Zoo as a „first rate“ facility –
this rating also expresses our commitment for the future.
Brief history and more…
Waterfall and game park
Eberswalde Zoo originated from a landscaped park with waterfalls that
was created in 1795 by David Schickler to the west of Zainhammer. The
forested area with bridges, waterfalls, fountains, gazebos and a grotto
was a popular destination right from the start. From 1842 onwards, the
newly opened railway line also allowed easy access to the waterfall park
for Berliners. Franz Mücke, who later became a musical director, chose
the waterfall area as the setting for the big singing contest of the
Mark Brandenburg district in 1847, which started a long tradition that
was to last many years. A memorial to the late musical director, the „Mücke
memorial“, was ceremoniously unveiled in 1863.
From 1928 on animal lover
Bruno Schulz held the lease for the restaurant next to the waterfall and
built the first animal enclosure. His plan was to establish a spacious
and sophisticated destination for day trips with a small adjoining game
park. At first the game park was home to around 20 native animals. In
the following years Eurasian eagle owls, common coots, white storks, red
foxes, martens, raccoons, red and fallow deer, together with an
excellent restaurant, attracted large numbers of visitors.
Destruction and reconstruction
On 24 April 1945, Bruno
Schulz’s lifework was entirely destroyed. Fleeing units of the Waffen-SS
made sure that only smouldering ruins remained of the game park and the
restaurant. The reconstruction of the waterfall park was part of the
second five-year plan of the former German Democratic Republic until
1960.
Bruno Schulz’s son Günter
Schulz planned and later also designed Eberswalde game park in 1957. It
took only one year to complete the first animal enclosures, a fence
surrounding the park, a small ticket office cabin and a house for the
director on the grounds of the animal park.
Post-war period and reunification
Under the direction of
Günter Schulz, the park developed into an animal park of high standard.
The park had now also become home to lions, tigers, cougars, leopards,
bears and later also to monkeys, which was the reason for the change in
name to „Eberswalde Animal Park“.
In April 1989, Dr. Bernd
Hensch was appointed director of Eberswalde Zoological Garden. After
graduating in Biology at Humboldt University Berlin, Hensch began work
in the garden in 1981 as research assistant and from 1983 onwards as
deputy director. The main focus till then had been on the breeding and
keeping of wild and domestic animals. Now, new tasks like environmental
education, the protection of nature and species and biological research
were added. Natural stone, wood from oaks and from robinias were used as
building material. Metal fences, rendered facades and fair-faced
concrete were replaced by open-air enclosures, which provided visitors
with good views. The aim was to design an animal park modelled on nature
that included high quality details, and to create a home for fascinating
animals originating from five continents.
Zoo and educational park
Transforming the
Eberswalde zoological garden into an educational park, like a „school
set in nature“, not only increased the number of visitors, but also the
number of animals born in the park. From 160,000 visitors in 1990, the
number rose to around 250,000 visitors in 2009.
Today the zoo is also a
partner of international programmes like the EEP (European Endangered
Species Programme). Comparable to a miniature Noah’s arch, a bigger
number of endangered species of wild and domestic animals are being kept
and successfully bred.
Brief
chronology
1958
Re-opening of the park for native animals.
1961
Construction of an open-air enclosure for leopards.
1963
Opening of the lion’s house with a first adjoining small open-air
enclosure; construction of a playground.
1964
Enclosure for Shetland ponies, construction of a small restaurant in the
park grounds.
1965
Kitchen for animal fodder and building for food storage – open-air
enclosure for donkeys, sheep and goats and a warm house for pata monkeys
– construction of an enclosure for fallow deer.
1966
Aviaries for tawny owls and common barn owls – construction of a first
wooden bridge across the pond.
1967
Enclosures for ferrets and raccoons and for European mouflons and
llamas.
1969
Opening of the animal park restaurant to coincide with the 20th
anniversary of the former German Democratic Republic.
1973
Enclosure complex for Royal Bengal tigers.
1976
Aviary for Eurasian eagle owls.
1980
Small enclosure for Siberian tigers.
1981
Enclosure for yaks and wapitis.
1982
Re-structuring of the park’s administration begins.
1984
Big aviary for golden eagles.
1985
Grotto for coatis – renovation of the enclosures for pine and beech
martens.
1986
Enclosures for red and Arctic foxes.
1987
Aviary for European wildcats and enclosure for European lynxes.
1989
Dr. Hensch appointed director of the zoo.
1990
Verein der Freunde und Förderer des Tierparks Eberswalde e.V. founded.
1991
Reconstruction of the pond (start of a three-year refurbishment period)
– footpaths made accessible for disabled visitors.
1992
Reconstruction of an enclosure for Bactrican camels and yaks – first
group of monkeys (Common marmoset) living entirely free on the zoo
grounds introduced – new bridge crossing the pond, dovecot and new
enclosure for pot-bellied pigs – construction of a large playground.
1993
Construction of enclosures for llamas and zebras – aviary for snowy owls
– three enclosures for white-faced sakis, cottontop tamarins and
ring-tailed lemurs built in co-operation with the Berlin Institute for
Zoo and Wildlife Research – new design of the wild boar enclosure –
reconstruction of the historic singer memorial – enclosure for golden
lion tamarins, aviary for Eurasian eagle owl and enclosure for nilgais.
1994
Enclosure for beech martens, new house for European bison, new enclosure
for porcupines, cheetah enclosure – flamingo house with open-air
enclosure – first enlargement and refurbishment of the tiger enclosure –
reconstruction of pond completed, two fountains and islands additionally
added – second group of monkeys (white-fronted lemurs) living entirely
free on the grounds of the zoo.
1995
New enclosure for domestic animals, new complex for ring-tailed lemurs,
aviary for griffon vultures – reopening of the refurbished „Brown bear“
restaurant – „Tierparkhäusl“ animal park cabin reconstructed.
1996
Construction of a penguin enclosure – conversion of the red deer house
to house antelopes and zebras – construction of an enclosure for black
leopards – open-air enclosure for prairie dogs – construction of new
sanitary facilities – aviary for steppe eagles.
1997
Director Dr. Hensch accepted as member of the Association of German Zoo
Directors (VDZ) – new enclosure for red ruffed lemurs.
1998
Environmental award of the Federal Republic of Germany for innovative
energy savings / jungle house using a decentralised heating system for
all animal houses and service buildings – opening of the jungle house –
adventure playground featuring steep slides and the first “suspension
bridge” in Eberswalde – “Bock auf Zoo” (“Into the zoo”) workshop for
children, youths and “VIPs” (now an annual tradition) – shared enclosure
for brown bears and wolves – five new pavilions for environmental
education – start of conversion of the zoo into an educational
institution.
1999
Opening of the “Fairytale castle”, a school in the zoo – construction of
the world’s “most exciting” lion enclosure – conversion into a
barrier-free zoo completed – construction of a kangaroo enclosure with
access for visitors and an enclosure for binturons – big aviary for
American bald eagles.
2000
Eberswalde Zoo ranked “first class” by international jury and receives
the highest marks of all zoos in Germany – registry office opens in the
“Fairytale castle” – enclosure for oriental small-clawed otters and
aviary for great grey owls – a wolf living in the wild called
„three-legs“ is caught and is now a permanent guest of the zoo – opening
of the zoo museum – opening of a house for nilgai, blackbucks and common
cranes – gibbon house and enclosure renovated, additional bridge across
the pond and suspension bridge.
2001
Enclosure for squirrel monkeys and open-air enclosure for reindeer –
inauguration of a species’ cemetery – pathways are paved (all enclosures
and houses are accessible for visitors with disabilities and for push
chairs).
2002
„1st Long Night at the Zoo” with open-air cinema – conservatory added to
the coati enclosure.
2003
Opening of Zoo Street – construction of the South America enclosure with
accessible conservatory.
2004
Angela Merkel christens a penguin in the zoo – refurbishment und new
design of the bridge across the zoo’s pond – construction of a
traditional oven for baking bread that burns natural solid fuel – new
viewing platform next to the gibbon enclosure – construction of a new
house for llamas, coatis, rheas and capybaras – third group of monkeys
(ring-tailed lemurs) living freely in the grounds of the zoo.
2005
„1st African Night at the Zoo” is a huge success and starts an annual
tradition – guided tours from zoo to zoo are introduced, € 30,000 in
donations collected on the first tour starting from Eberswalde Zoo and
after 320 km ending at Rostock zoo – refurbishment of the employee’s
building made possible by a legacy to the zoo.
2006
25th anniversary of zoo director Dr. Hensch – Zoo-TV can be received in
hospitals and live online – Eberswalde Zoo presented with the “Service
Quality Germany“ award for tourism businesses at the International
Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin.
2007
Inauguration of a bronze bust of Günter Schulz, former zoo director and
honorary citizen of the city of Eberswalde – new enclosure for snakes
and turtles in the jungle house.
2008
80th birthday of Eberswalde Zoo celebrated with a big zoo festival –
“1st cycling tour for Eberswalde Zoo”, leading through the district of
Barnim, yields € 40,000 in donations – opening of the glacial landscape
with open-air enclosure for Amur tigers with glacier and climate
playground – refurbishment of the cheetah enclosure.
2009
Construction of enclosures for snakes and turtles in the jungle house.
Contract regarding the permanent co-financing of Eberswalde Zoo by the
district of Barnim signed by Bodo Ihrke, head of the Barnim district
authority, and Friedhelm Boginski, major of the city of Eberswalde.
Remarkable
first-time breeding (successes since reunification)
1991 Scarlet macaw, common marmoset, African lion
1994 Brown bear, rhea, Bactrican camel, kangaroo, blue-and-yellow
macaw
1995 Cottontop tamarin, white-fronted lemur
1996 Prairie dog
1997 Springbok, black leopard, steppe eagle
1998 Humboldt penguin, gray wolf
1999 Goeldi’s marmoset
2001 Plains zebra, megabats, white stork, white-faced saki
2002 American bald eagle, reindeer, Asian rock python
2003 Yellow-cheeked gibbon
2004 Chinese water dragon, ring-tailed lemur
2005 Squirrel monkey, black crowned crane
2006 Green winged macaw, white-lipped tamarin
2007 Vietnamese pond turtle, Chinese three-keeled pond turtle
2008 Black-and-white ruffled lemur, Western indigo snake
2009 Prairie dog, Patagonian mara, rainbow lorikeet, serval cat
2010 Alpine marmots, China Leopard
Source: official site of
Zoo Eberswalde (2016)
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