Bärenzwinger

Bärenzwinger stands in Berlin as a former bear enclosure transformed into a cultural site for contemporary art. Its architecture still reflects the practical forms of an animal enclosure. Wheelchair access makes the space available to visitors with limited mobility.

Opened in 1939, the enclosure housed several generations of brown bears, Berlin’s heraldic animals. Urs and Vreni arrived as gifts from Bern for Berlin’s 700th anniversary. During the Second World War, most bears died and rubble buried the site. Local residents cleared the area, allowing it to reopen in 1949. The bear pit closed in 2015 after concerns about its structural condition.

Since 2017, exhibitions and events have connected the site’s history with urban culture, animal welfare and ecology. Young curators organise workshops and discussions with support from interdisciplinary funding. Artists and scientists create site-specific installations that bring past experiences into conversation with future possibilities. The former bear pit now holds a striking meeting point between Berlin’s civic history and contemporary cultural debate.