IUCR: Urban Nature

Did you know that...

Traditional European residential house with balconys with colorful flowers and flowerpots. Kreuzberg neighborhood

... Berlin is not only the largest, but also the greenest metropolis in Germany? Around 30 percent of the total area of 892 square kilometres is green and forested land. The streets are lined with around 432,000 trees. 2,500 parks and green spaces offer recreational opportunities for Berliners as well as visitors. In addition, there are about 880 colonies of allotment gardens with over 71,000 gardens within the city.
... 6.6 percent of Berlin's total area is covered by water? That comes to a striking 58.9 square kilometres. At 45 kilometres, the Spree is the longest river in the city; the Teltow Canal is the longest canal in the city at 29 kilometres. Visitors can also explore Berlin aboard an excursion boat: This offer includes everything from short round trips to boat tours that last for several hours.
... the city's largest lake is the Großer Müggelsee with a surface area of almost 7.6 square kilometres?
... Berlin's second highest elevation, the 120-metre-high Teufelsberg, is made of rubble? After the war, 26 million cubic metres of rubble were piled up here.
... the tallest tree in Berlin is a Beech tree that was planted in Tegeler Forst in 1843? It has now reached a height of 43.15 metres and a diameter of 96 centimetres. It thus knocks the Burgsdorf larch out from the first place. The Tegeler Forst is a forest of superlatives. It is also home to the oldest tree, a pedunculate oak estimated to be 800 to 900 years old. It is about 15 metres high, the circumference of the trunk is 6.65 metres. It is said that Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt gave it the name "Dicke Marie".
... Berlin is home to the largest Chinese garden in Europe? It is part of the Marzahn Recreationa Park with its ensemble of eleven "Gardens of the World". Here visitors can also enjoy a tea ceremony. There are also Balinese, Japanese, Korean and Oriental gardens, an Italian Renaissance garden, a perennial garden, a Christian garden, an English landscape garden, a Jewish garden and a maze.
... Berlin is home to two zoos due to the former division of the city - the Tierpark Berlin in Friedrichsfelde with its beautiful outdoor enclosures, and the Zoologischer Garten with its aquarium? The two zoo locations in the capital hold many a records. With around 30,000 animals, they have a combined population that is unmatched anywhere in the world in terms of diversity and rarity. Founded about 175 years ago, Berlin's Zoological Garden (Zoologischer Garten) is the oldest surviving zoo in Germany, the third oldest in Europe and also the most richly biodiverse zoo in the world. The neighbouring aquarium, one of the largest in the world, has also earned this distinction. Yet another record: With an area of 160 hectares, the Friedrichsfelde Zoo is the largest adventure animal park in Europe.
... Berlin's oldest zoo inhabitant is 66 years old? At least that is the estimate. Thanks to full board, the best medical care and being far away from natural predators, gorilla lady Fatou the flamingo has left its average life expectancy of 40 years far behind.
... the Berlin Zoo is home to the only panda bears in Germany? Since 2017, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing have been living in the panda garden that was built especially for them.