Carl Hagen Beck: the inventor of The modern animal parks

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No bars or high fences That Zoos look today, is Carl Hagen Beck to thank for that. 10. June marks the anniversary of 175. Birthday. In peoples view, he was a Trauma for many performers.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    The animal Park Hagenbeck in Hamburg

    The first grid is loose Zoo in the world, founded by Carl Hagenbeck in 1907. The Hanseate was ahead of his time. His idea of the proper presentation of animals in their natural habitats was revolutionary and groundbreaking. Today, most of the Zoos in the world are built according to Carl Hagenbeck principle of animal husbandry.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Zoom adventure world in Gelsenkirchen

    In Gelsenkirchen, the visitor is close to the action, he is a sort of “zoomed in”, as the Name of the animal parks suggests. In the middle of the Ruhr area, you can make a “trip around the world in a day” and the worlds of adventure to Alaska, Africa, and Asia to discover and the dwarf otter Otis when Painting watch. He blurred the colours with his paws, and so an abstract Otter creates paintings.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    The Zoological garden in Berlin

    The Berlin Zoo is the most species-rich animal Park in the world with nearly 20,000 animals from about 1,300 species. Here is Hertha, named after the Berlin football club Hertha BSC, who is also her godfather. The little polar bear was “a real sports fan,” says the zoo Director Andreas Knieriem. She likes to play with the Ball and pushes it with an extraordinary persistence due to its cave.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Zoo in Münster

    On rainy days or in cold temperatures: The visit to the zoo in every Season and in all weather conditions is possible. Thanks to the covered passages between the enclosures, the feet always stay dry. To the “Galactic days”, held once in a year, steal costumed performers from “star wars” to the animals in the Show.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Homeland Animal Park Olderdissen

    He is open around-the-clock and entrance is free. In the animal Park Olderdissen, embedded in the Teutoburger Park, you can see the local nature and its animals and experience. In the animal Park enclosures with wolves, wild boars, brown bears (our photo), Martens, Tarpanen and other animals that are here home find.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna

    It is the oldest Zoo in the world, opened in 1752. It is located on the site of one of the most popular sights of Vienna – namely, right next to the Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Empress Maria Theresa. The first Giraffe was attracted in 1928, with the visitors a great sensation. The animal house had to be enlarged for the accommodation of the “high guest” and adapted.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    National Scottish Zoological Park

    Gentoo penguins, Rockhopper penguins, king penguins: penguin-Fans arrive in Edinburgh in any case, at your cost. It was the first Zoo in the world where penguins and bred were housed. This Tradition of the Zoo has remained loyal until today. One of the Highlights of the famous penguin parade, where the penguins out of their kennels and left with their keepers running around is.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Loro Parque in Spain

    The animal Park on the Spanish island of Tenerife was founded by Cologne’s Wolfgang Kiessling. It was originally created as a parrot Park, which also gave him his name, because Loro is the Spanish word for “parrot”. Keeping, breeding and protection of the various species of Parrots are, as before, a significant focus of the animal parks.

    Author: Rayna Breuer


  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    The animal Park Hagenbeck in Hamburg

    The first grid is loose Zoo in the world, founded by Carl Hagenbeck in 1907. The Hanseate was ahead of his time. His idea of the proper presentation of animals in their natural habitats was revolutionary and groundbreaking. Today, most of the Zoos in the world are built according to Carl Hagenbeck principle of animal husbandry.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Zoom adventure world in Gelsenkirchen

    In Gelsenkirchen, the visitor is close to the action, he is a sort of “zoomed in”, as the Name of the animal parks suggests. In the middle of the Ruhr area, you can make a “trip around the world in a day” and the worlds of adventure to Alaska, Africa, and Asia to discover and the dwarf otter Otis when Painting watch. He blurred the colours with his paws, and so an abstract Otter creates paintings.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    The Zoological garden in Berlin

    The Berlin Zoo is the most species-rich animal Park in the world with nearly 20,000 animals from about 1,300 species. Here is Hertha, named after the Berlin football club Hertha BSC, who is also her godfather. The little polar bear was “a real sports fan,” says the zoo Director Andreas Knieriem. She likes to play with the Ball and pushes it with an extraordinary persistence due to its cave.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Zoo in Münster

    On rainy days or in cold temperatures: The visit to the zoo in every Season and in all weather conditions is possible. Thanks to the covered passages between the enclosures, the feet always stay dry. To the “Galactic days”, held once in a year, steal costumed performers from “star wars” to the animals in the Show.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Homeland Animal Park Olderdissen

    He is open around-the-clock and entrance is free. In the animal Park Olderdissen, embedded in the Teutoburger Park, you can see the local nature and its animals and experience. In the animal Park enclosures with wolves, wild boars, brown bears (our photo), Martens, Tarpanen and other animals that are here home find.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna

    It is the oldest Zoo in the world, opened in 1752. It is located on the site of one of the most popular sights of Vienna – namely, right next to the Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Empress Maria Theresa. The first Giraffe was attracted in 1928, with the visitors a great sensation. The animal house had to be enlarged for the accommodation of the “high guest” and adapted.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    National Scottish Zoological Park

    Gentoo penguins, Rockhopper penguins, king penguins: penguin-Fans arrive in Edinburgh in any case, at your cost. It was the first Zoo in the world where penguins and bred were housed. This Tradition of the Zoo has remained loyal until today. One of the Highlights of the famous penguin parade, where the penguins out of their kennels and left with their keepers running around is.

  • Animal what’s going on: Eight remarkable Zoos in Europe

    Loro Parque in Spain

    The animal Park on the Spanish island of Tenerife was founded by Cologne’s Wolfgang Kiessling. It was originally created as a parrot Park, which also gave him his name, because Loro is the Spanish word for “parrot”. Keeping, breeding and protection of the various species of Parrots are, as before, a significant focus of the animal parks.

    Author: Rayna Breuer


The success story of the hamburger, Carl Hagenbeck started with six cute little seals: early on, the son of a fish merchant, developed a flair for exotic animals – and for business. As his father one day got seals as by-catch by fishermen, led to the idea to present this as an attraction for those interested, against entrance fee. The Foundation stone for a private Zoo was placed.

First of all, Hagenbeck traveled with his circus and exotic Look, many of the cities, until he fulfilled in 1907, his long-awaited desire: He founded his own Zoo on the outskirts of Hamburg. A Sensation at that time: a Park with animals, and – so it seemed – life in the wild. Without high mesh, open, and so incredibly close. Tigers and lions have been shown in the natural-style enclosures – behind invisible ditches. Carl Hagenbeck was one of the most successful animal trader and zoo Directors around the world.

The old entrance gate and landmark of the animal Park Hagenbeck, at the opening in 1907

The Zoo is more than 110 years after its founding, still in family hands, and is managed in the sixth Generation. Today, more than 1850 animals from 210 species in the Zoo of life. Also as an animal dealer Carl Hagenbeck has cleverly shown he supplied great Zoos and private people with exotic animals from all over the world.

Carl Hagenbeck’s exotic look – people as part of his Show

Not only animals were part of his Shows – even people from foreign Nations presented the Carl Hagenbeck and his ever-growing audience: Sami, Nubians, Inuit, Somalis, Indians and other representatives of distant lands had to their everyday lives and their cultures stage. Peoples view had already existed in the early modern era, European explorers and sailors, people from newly explored territories have brought. But Carl Hagenbeck understood it, the peoples look to perfectly set the stage: Sami performed together with Reindeers, Egyptians rode in front of the pyramids from Pappmachée on dromedaries, fire countries, lived in huts and had bones as accessories in the hair.

Zoo Director Carl Hagenbeck shows in 1927 and proud with people from Somalia, he has brought in specifically for his Show to Hamburg

The cast of the “Völkerschauen” were touring at the time, in Europe, as now, musicians and Bands. Her tight schedule included multiple performances per day – from morning to evening, they were the object of ogling. The constant change of location and the poor conditions of work barges for many newcomers to a significant risk: As a Show of Inuit family died in the year 1880 to smallpox because they had not been vaccinated. Also in the case of a group of Sioux Indians, there were deaths, they died of tuberculosis, measles and pneumonia.

Theodor Wonja Michael remembers

Some of the performers were probably voluntarily to Europe to earn money with the performances. For others, such as Theodor Wonja Michael, the international Trauma – look up to today.

Theodor Wonja Michael 2014

“We went through the whole of Europe with the circus, and I was always traveling from Paris to Riga, Bern, Warsaw and Bucharest,” recalls Theodor Wonja Michael, in a DW Interview by 2017. He is the youngest son of a German and a Kameruners, who had come to the turn of the century from the then German colony into the Empire. “We danced and performed together with fire-eaters and fakirs, but very early on I began to look at these people and my involvement to hate it,” said the now 94-Year-old. Long as he has not spoken about this time, but then, in 2013, Theodor Wonja Michael, his story and that of his family in the book “German and black. Memories of an Afro-German” written on it. About the story of his life, Theodor Wonja Michael also speaks in the DW-documentation “Afro.Germany”.

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How black people are experiencing in their German homeland

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How black people are experiencing in their German homeland

On into show business

The family is from Cameroon, was the Theodor Wonja Michael’s father at the end of the 19th century. Century, after Europe had sent. In Berlin this, but quickly realized that he as the citizen of a German colony in normal professions, denied remained. The so-called peoples of the sole means of messengers look at him.

“In the international review we were what people in Europe are presented in the twenties and thirties of the last century under the ‘Africans’: uneducated, with raffia skirts and held, culture-less Savages,” explains Theodor Wonja Michael. He still remembers how strangers drove him with his fingers through his ruffled hair: “you skate to me, if I was real, spoke in broken English and sign language with me.”

Post card with an advertisement for the international exhibition of India in the Hagenbeck animal Park

Hagen Beck hosted his last Show on “exotic people” in 1931. Theodor Wonja Michael was nine, his father in 1934 at the age of 55 years. He has only a few memories of him. From the stories of his siblings, he knows that the father was the beginning of the 1920s, as an extra at the former silent film. He and his siblings were often taken to the Studio and then also engaged. They were just so “typical African”. The peoples ‘ view disappeared after the war. The discrimination remained.

Watch the Video 01:38

Peoples View”/Theodor Michael