Tierpark Hagenbeck

Carl Hagenbeck opened this park in 1907 having patented, in 1896, a way of displaying animals without visible bars: enclosures separated from visitors and from each other by moats and ditches hidden below sight lines, arranged in tiers so several species appear in one view against a painted or planted background. It changed zoo design internationally, and the tiered panorama at Hagenbeck remains the original example. The park is still owned and run by the Hagenbeck family, unusual among large zoos. A tropical aquarium was added in 2007. The elephant house allows close contact under keeper supervision.

History

Carl Hagenbeck's father began collecting exotic animals arriving at Hamburg's port in 1863, and by the 1870s the trade had made the family among the most prominent animal dealers in Europe; in 1874 Hagenbeck opened a first zoo in Hamburg. In the 1890s he created his first panorama, the Northern Panorama, with seals and walruses in front and reindeer and polar bears beyond hidden moats, patenting the idea in 1896, and in 1907 he built Tierpark Hagenbeck outside the city, designed throughout on that system and using what he had learned in his circus about how far animals could leap (Wikipedia, Tierpark Hagenbeck).

What you'll find

• The moated panorama - the original barless tiered enclosure of 1907.
• The family ownership - a large zoo still run by its founding family.
• The tropical aquarium - a separate building added in 2007.
• The Japanese garden - a landscaped section within the grounds.

When to go

April to October; the park is open year-round with shorter winter hours. Summer weekends and school holidays are busy. The aquarium is separately ticketed.

Things to know

The aquarium requires a separate or combined ticket. Some historic enclosures are small by modern standards. Weekends are crowded with families.

Nearby

Central Hamburg lies east; Planten un Blomen is closer in.

Key facts