Germany’s oldest zoo celebrated its special jubilee with a towering 175 cm cake made of light sponge, white chocolate and raspberries, decorated with sweet edible flowers, zoo landmarks, and animals – including adorable pandas, remarkable giraffes, and elegant pink flamingos.
The ceremonial cutting of the cake was performed by Berlin’s mayor Michael Müller, who gave a speech to kick off the jubilee celebrations. “Home to so many fascinating animals, Zoo Berlin is one of the city’s most venerable institutions. It has been enriching life in Berlin for 175 years now, and we couldn’t imagine the city without it,” announced Müller. Afterwards, the lucky guests were invited to tuck in to the colourful cake, and confirmed that it didn’t just look amazing, it tasted amazing as well!
Zoo Berlin, which is famously home to more species than any other zoo in the world, is one of the city’s best-loved attractions for visitors and Berliners alike. “I have witnessed Zoo Berlin develop over the past years and am thrilled that we have created this fantastic attraction right in the heart of the city,” said Supervisory Board Chairman Frank Bruckmann. Zoo and Tierpark Director Dr Andreas Knieriem took advantage of the occasion to thank Zoo Berlin’s many supporters. “We are delighted by all the birthday wishes we have received. We are so proud of this wonderful place that is continuing to instil generations of people with a love for the fascinating animal kingdom,” he said. “We are looking forward to celebrating this special occasion with our visitors this coming weekend.”
The splendid cake was gifted by outstanding cake shop and confectioners Der Kuchenladen, located in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district. Five nimble-fingered cake makers spent more than two weeks forming the colourful flowers, exotic creatures, and historic buildings out of sugar paste. Everything on the cake is a unique hand-made piece, shaped by Der Kuchenladen’s talented team and led by its creative managers Uwe Gundelach and Klaus-Dieter Heinemann. Simply recreating the Elephant Gate with its impressive pillars and ornate roof took employees Violeta Tanova and Ralf Heese a total of 26 hours. In the meantime, fellow team members Yolanda Martinec, Despina Höfke and Xiang Zhang were busy creating delicate hippos and gorillas from sugar.
Following this mouth-watering ceremonial start to the celebrations, this weekend everyone can look forward to various special events. On Friday, visitors can stay at the zoo until 9:25 p.m. – 175 minutes longer than normal – enjoying the magical evening atmosphere in the company of giraffes, zebras, pandas, and more. On the weekend of 3 to 4 August, visitors can enjoy an assorted programme of stage performances and a range of activities throughout the zoo. For more information about the jubilee programme, visit www.zoo-berlin.de/jubiläum
Tip: There are still tickets left for the exclusive finale performance of the classical music concert The Carnival of the Animals at Zoo Berlin! Snap them up at www.zoo-berlin.de/karnevaldertiere
