Capital of the animals

On August 1, 1844, the "Zoological Garden near Berlin" opened its doors. It was still located outside the city, its animal houses were unfinished and the animal population rather small. This book tells how it became the world's most species-rich zoo, which today attracts several million visitors from Germany and abroad every year.
It is not just about the structural development, the animals on display or improvements in animal husbandry. At the same time, Berlin and German history are reflected in the Capital Zoo: the colonial age with the ethnological shows, National Socialism with the expulsion of Jewish shareholders, the Cold War through competition with the East Berlin Zoo, and finally German unification. Although those in power at the time always used the zoo as a stage, from the beginning it was a project of the citizens of Berlin, who supported it as visitors and shareholders. So this book is also about their city - vivid, illuminating and full of stories.