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Parks & Gardens
An overview of Berlin's most popular parks and gardens with address, photos, public transport details and more
The Britzer Garten was laid out for the Federal Horticultural Show in the eighties and is worth a visit at any time of year thanks to its variety.
The Britzer Garten in the south of Berlin is not only a delight for flowers and garden lovers. This excellent green area inspires a wide public with its variety. Hardly any other park changes its face so much with the changing seasons. The special shows in spring and late summer, which pamper the eye with a colourful sea of flowers made of tulips and dahlias respectively, are among the highlights of Berlin's calendar of events.
Those who want to enjoy the harmonious and beautiful garden art on the 90 hectare site in its entirety should bring a lot of time with them. The Britzer Garten was created as the main area of the Federal Garden Show in Berlin in 1985, with an approximately ten-hectare lake with an irregular bank in the centre of the park. The water surface is divided into the main lake and three other lake areas that merge into each other: the Iris Sea, the Baltic Sea and the South Sea. Bays provide for a clever division of the park area. There are three viewing hills in the surrounding area, each of which has springs, whose water feeds streams and waterfalls and flows into the lake.
A circular trail leads around the entire lake district. But footbridges and bridges also allow a shorter route around the main lake. Green corridors radiate from the lake to the four main entrances. Along these corridors you will find various experience areas and zones with gardening themes. The Britzer Garten offers space for just about every need of those seeking relaxation: a picnic in a wildly romantic mountain landscape, relaxing in cozy places or sunbathing by the water - everything is possible. Restaurants, cafés, a milk bar and numerous kiosks offer a wide range of culinary delights.
Especially children's hearts beat faster in the Britzer Garten. For the little ones there is a spectacular play landscape. Another attraction for children is the water playground, where especially the very youngest can splash and play in summer. There is also an animal enclosure with sheep, goats, rabbits and donkeys and a bee house.
Between the meadows, forests, flowerbeds and biotopes, Britz has a wealth of gardens with different botanical focal points, such as the rose garden, the perennial garden, the rhododendron grove or the water garden. The "Witches' Garden" takes the curious visitor on a journey into the garden culture of the Middle Ages. The three big special shows in the Britz Garden are crowd-pullers: the tulip blossom ("Tulipan"), the blossoms of rhododendron and azaleas ("Magic Blossoms") and, in late summer, the dahlia blossom ("Dahlia Fire") ignite true fireworks of brilliant colours.
In the Britzer Garten you will find the largest sundial in Europe with a diameter of 99 metres. Those who do not want to explore the whole park on foot can take the park railway. The train runs on a five-kilometre circuit and stops at the most important stations.
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An overview of Berlin's most popular parks and gardens with address, photos, public transport details and more
© JFL Photography - stock.adobe.com
This guided bike tour starts in the Prenzlauer Berg district and includes all the major sights in Berlin's city center and the modern architecture of the government quarter. more