Volkspark Friedrichshain
Encyclopedia
Volkspark Friedrichshain is a large urban park
on the border of the Berlin neighborhoods of Friedrichshain
and Prenzlauer Berg
. The oldest public park in Berlin
, at 52 hectares, it is also the third-largest, after Tempelhofer Park (>300 hectares) and the Tiergarten
(210 hectares).
, and in 1840 the Berlin city council
decided to construct it on the occasion of the centennial of Frederick the Great's
ascension to the Prussian throne. The oldest parts of the park were laid out in 1846-1848 based on plans by Johann Heinrich Gustav Meyer, a landscape architect
who held the post of city park director, and learned his craft
in the botanical garden of Schöneberg
. The park was constructed on the space of a former vineyard
, and officially opened in 1848 with an area of 46 hectares.
The size, shape, and layout of the park have changed over the intervening years. One of the earliest changes was due to the construction of Berlin's first urban hospital
, Krankenhaus im Friedrichshain, which was built in 1868 to 1874 in the southeast part of the park. The hospital, which was designed by Martin Gropius
and Heino Schmieden
, was originally directed by the notable Rudolf Virchow
.
An element of the park that survived the destruction wrought during the Second World War is the Fairy Tale Fountain
(Märchenbrunnen). Designed in 1913 by Berlin's city building director, Ludwig Hofman, the fountain contains 106 stone sculptures representing characters from traditional German fairy tales. The fountain was created for the children of Berlin, during a time in which rickets
and typhoid were endemic
. The Second World War had a dramatic impact upon the rest of the park. The Nazi military made use of the park, constructing Flak towers
in 1941, as well as bunkers, and as a result much of the park was destroyed by Allied
bombing during the war.
At the end of the war Berlin was divided into four parts by the Allied Powers, and the Volkspark resided in the Soviet Sector. The reconstruction of the park was therefore undertaken by the German Democratic Republic
(GDR). A plan was devised by Reinhold Linger, the GDR director of landscape and park architecture, to create two small artificial mountains in the park out of rubble from the bombed-out city. (Similar projects were undertaken throughout postwar Germany, and such peaks are called Schuttberge
in German.) In 1946 the bunkers were destroyed, filled, and covered by over two million cubic meters of rubble
from the ruins
of destroyed buildings. The larger of the two hills became known as both "Mont Klamott" and "Große Bunkerberg", the "tall bunker mountain", and is 78 meters tall. The smaller hill, "Kleine Bunkerberg", the "small bunker mountain", has a height of 48 meters. With the passage of time and the growth of greenery, the hills now appear to be completely natural features.
The park continued its evolution during the cold war
. An open air theater was constructed in 1950, and after recent renovation remains open today. Two pools
were constructed during the period from 1949–1951, a 5 meter deep pool for diving, and an 8 lane, 50 meter long swimming pool
, along with stands for up to 8000 spectators
(Karl-Friedrich-Friesen Stadium
). In 1989, a Japanese Pavilion which included a Peace Bell dedicated to unity against nuclear war was constructed in between the two Schuttberge as a gift
from Japan
to East Berlin.
The period from 1995 to 2004 saw a period of renovation and reconstruction, during which the Fairy Tale Fountain was cleaned of a great deal of vandalism
that had taken place following German reunification
. The swimming pools built in the GDR period have been replaced by a sports complex for beach volleyball
, rock climbing
, skateboarding
, and cycling
.
), and the Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists
(erected 1972, designed by Polish
sculptors Zofia Wolska and Tadeusz Lodzian).
location in Berlin, and is open 24 hours. In addition to the amenities mentioned earlier, the park has several playgrounds, many large Liegewiese (open areas for sunbathing), a pond, tennis
courts, a wading pool, and a restaurant. It is also crisscrossed with paths appropriate for jogging
at several difficulty levels, and in the winter months a toboggan
run is opened.
The Park is easily accessible using Bus number 200 from Unter den Linden, Alexanderplatz etc.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
on the border of the Berlin neighborhoods of Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain
Friedrichshain is a part of Berlin's borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and like Kreuzberg across the river it has its own distinct character, with the result that the new double name is hardly ever used outside government administration. From its creation in 1920 until Berlin's 2001...
and Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
. The oldest public park in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, at 52 hectares, it is also the third-largest, after Tempelhofer Park (>300 hectares) and the Tiergarten
Tiergarten
Tiergarten is a locality within the borough of Mitte, in central Berlin . Notable for the great and homonymous urban park, before German reunification, it was a part of West Berlin...
(210 hectares).
History
The park was originally conceived by the landscape gardener Peter Joseph LennéPeter Joseph Lenné
Peter Joseph Lenné was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect from Bonn who worked in the German classicist style.-Childhood and development:...
, and in 1840 the Berlin city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
decided to construct it on the occasion of the centennial of Frederick the Great's
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
ascension to the Prussian throne. The oldest parts of the park were laid out in 1846-1848 based on plans by Johann Heinrich Gustav Meyer, a landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
who held the post of city park director, and learned his craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
in the botanical garden of Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
. The park was constructed on the space of a former vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
, and officially opened in 1848 with an area of 46 hectares.
The size, shape, and layout of the park have changed over the intervening years. One of the earliest changes was due to the construction of Berlin's first urban hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, Krankenhaus im Friedrichshain, which was built in 1868 to 1874 in the southeast part of the park. The hospital, which was designed by Martin Gropius
Martin Gropius
Martin Carl Philipp Gropius was a German architect.- Life :Gropius studied at the Bauakademie in Berlin and after graduation worked as a private architect...
and Heino Schmieden
Heino Schmieden
Heino Schmieden was a German architect.-Biography:Schmieden was born in Soldin, New March In 1866 Schmieden graduated from the renowned Bauakademie in Berlin with a diploma in architecture...
, was originally directed by the notable Rudolf Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
.
An element of the park that survived the destruction wrought during the Second World War is the Fairy Tale Fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
(Märchenbrunnen). Designed in 1913 by Berlin's city building director, Ludwig Hofman, the fountain contains 106 stone sculptures representing characters from traditional German fairy tales. The fountain was created for the children of Berlin, during a time in which rickets
Rickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...
and typhoid were endemic
Endemic (epidemiology)
In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. For example, chickenpox is endemic in the UK, but malaria is not...
. The Second World War had a dramatic impact upon the rest of the park. The Nazi military made use of the park, constructing Flak towers
Flak tower
Flak towers were 8 complexes of large, above-ground, anti-aircraft gun blockhouse towers constructed in the cities of Berlin , Hamburg , and Vienna from 1940 onwards....
in 1941, as well as bunkers, and as a result much of the park was destroyed by Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
bombing during the war.
At the end of the war Berlin was divided into four parts by the Allied Powers, and the Volkspark resided in the Soviet Sector. The reconstruction of the park was therefore undertaken by the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
(GDR). A plan was devised by Reinhold Linger, the GDR director of landscape and park architecture, to create two small artificial mountains in the park out of rubble from the bombed-out city. (Similar projects were undertaken throughout postwar Germany, and such peaks are called Schuttberge
Schuttberg
Schuttberg is a German term for a mound made of rubble or out of a rubbish heap.Many were amassed following the extensive damage from strategic bombing during World War II...
in German.) In 1946 the bunkers were destroyed, filled, and covered by over two million cubic meters of rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
from the ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
of destroyed buildings. The larger of the two hills became known as both "Mont Klamott" and "Große Bunkerberg", the "tall bunker mountain", and is 78 meters tall. The smaller hill, "Kleine Bunkerberg", the "small bunker mountain", has a height of 48 meters. With the passage of time and the growth of greenery, the hills now appear to be completely natural features.
The park continued its evolution during the cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. An open air theater was constructed in 1950, and after recent renovation remains open today. Two pools
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
were constructed during the period from 1949–1951, a 5 meter deep pool for diving, and an 8 lane, 50 meter long swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, along with stands for up to 8000 spectators
Spectators
Spectators is the fourth full album of the German synthpop duo Wolfsheim. As with all of their commercially available albums, this album is bilingual, although most tracks are in English...
(Karl-Friedrich-Friesen Stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
). In 1989, a Japanese Pavilion which included a Peace Bell dedicated to unity against nuclear war was constructed in between the two Schuttberge as a gift
Gift
A gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to East Berlin.
The period from 1995 to 2004 saw a period of renovation and reconstruction, during which the Fairy Tale Fountain was cleaned of a great deal of vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
that had taken place following German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
. The swimming pools built in the GDR period have been replaced by a sports complex for beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, and cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
.
Monuments
The Volkspark abounds in monuments. In addition to the Peace Bell, the park has monuments to Frederick the Great (historical reconstruction, completed 2000), the March Revolution of 1848, the 1918 Red Sailors' Revolution, the Spanish Civil War (designed in 1968 by Fritz CremerFritz Cremer
Fritz Cremer was a German sculptor of catholic extraction who turned to communism in the 1920s. Originally a stone-cutter, he studied at Berlin and got a government grant for the German academy in Rome, Villa Massimo, from 1937 to 1938...
), and the Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists
Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists
The Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists is a war memorial in Berlin, dedicated in 1972. Built by the German Democratic Republic during the division of Germany, it is today the principal German monument to the Polish soldiers who died in World War II, as well as an important...
(erected 1972, designed by Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
sculptors Zofia Wolska and Tadeusz Lodzian).
The Volkspark today
The Volkspark is a popular leisureLeisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
location in Berlin, and is open 24 hours. In addition to the amenities mentioned earlier, the park has several playgrounds, many large Liegewiese (open areas for sunbathing), a pond, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, a wading pool, and a restaurant. It is also crisscrossed with paths appropriate for jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
at several difficulty levels, and in the winter months a toboggan
Toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
run is opened.
The Park is easily accessible using Bus number 200 from Unter den Linden, Alexanderplatz etc.