Köllnischer Park

The Koellnischer Park is a small one-hectare green space in Berlin Mitte, right next to the Maerkisches Museum and not far from the Spree. It was laid out in the 18th and 19th centuries on what had been the Koelln bastion of the old double-town fortifications. The current Wilhelmine-era design includes paths and small sculptures. Its best-known landmark is the Baerenzwinger, where the Berlin heraldic bears Schnute, Maxi and others lived from 1939 to 2015 - a peculiar reminder of an era when cities still kept living heraldry. Since 2017 the former bear pit has been used as a contemporary art space. Today the park mixes office workers, families from the neighbourhood and visitors to the Maerkisches Museum, and offers a quiet break just off Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse.