Gorilla in the Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich.

Visiting Zoo Hellabrunn

A soft spot for animals

Hellabrunn is one of the most popular excursion destinations in the Munich area. Our author accompanied the zoo director on a tour and learnt that animals are not the only focus in the zoo.

I love animals. This has always been the case. Animals move me in a way that only a few people can. And this is because animals are not base or cruel, everything that they do pursues a goal; they are the most honest creatures around. Animals are also quite funny; fish, for example, hunt each other for fun, they play tag and hide themselves in the sand or under stones.

I think it is not possible to observe animals and be in a bad mood or feel bored.

As a child I had a budgie (Maxi), later a Bernese mountain dog (Kyra), and I absolutely adored both of them. I thought when I am grown up, I will buy as many pets as can fit in my flat. Today unfortunately I no longer have any pets. I am on the road a lot and live in an attic flat. So that is why I have an annual pass for the zoo. There is hardly a place in Munich that I like as much as Hellabrunn.a visitor I can see giraffes, poisonous snakes and birds of prey within just a few minutes amazes me.

I try to go to the zoo at least once a month. When I walk from the car park in the direction of the Flamingo entrance, I am as excited as the children in front of me hopping over the asphalt while holding on to their parents’ hands. I find it fascinating that so many different animals live in one place practically in the centre of the city. That as a visitor I can see giraffes, poisonous snakes and birds of prey within just a few minutes amazes me.

My little trips to Hellabrunn are always the same: the first thing I do is visit the chimpanzees in the Urwaldhaus (Jungle House). Then I pass by the vipers and cobras and walk through the aquarium, buy myself a chocolate crêpe outside and sit down with it beside the orangutans. I think it is not possible to observe animals and be in a bad mood or feel bored.

Today, on a sunny autumn day, I have an appointment with the zoo director, we are standing in front of the ring-tailed lemur enclosure. I have known the ring-tailed lemur and its catlike movements for quite a while. The ring-tailed lemur comes from Madagascar originally. He has just woken up. As if in slow motion, the animal with the yellow eyes and striped tail moves along the treetops – and the zoo director beams all over his face. “There, can you see them!” he says and points to the lemurs with his index finger. The lemur has now stretched out its arms and is lying out in the sun in a lascivious manner. A few visitors are standing in front of the lemur enclosure with their necks craned and are laughing at the creature. It looks like the lemur – just like the visitors – wants to enjoy the sunrays.

Actually today I wanted to work behind the scenes as an animal keeper – my secret dream job. But that is not so easy to arrange without further ado. Somehow I find this even good. In Hellabrunn, I think they take the inhabitants of their zoo seriously. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t want complete strangers to walk through my living room and stroke my head.

On the day when the lemur is lounging around in the sun, I get an exclusive guided tour of the premises with the Director of Hellabrunn Zoo. Rasem Baban has been the director of the Munich Zoo since 2014. Before that the 52 year old was the deputy director of Leipzig Zoo but is nevertheless a lateral entrant in his career. “I did not study biology like most my colleagues,” he says. “I am actually an architect!”

... and so you quickly dispense with the naive idea that a zoo director spends his entire day cuddling baby monkeys in a Hawaiian shirt.

Baban has even worked as a management consultant in the past. These professional skills are currently of great benefit to the zoo director: In the past few years, many new construction projects have been realized in Hellabrunn; entire enclosures built from scratch and renovated.

The Elephant House is an example of this: designed in 1914 by the Munich architect Emanuel von Seidl, it was the trademark of Hellabrunn for a long time. But there was a problem: as a result of the steam from the elephant urine which contained ammonia, the substance of the building suffered, until finally in 2010 a part of the ceiling collapsed unexpectedly. “It was a miracle that nothing happened to the elephants at that time,” says Baban, sounding relieved. After moving the animals out, various safety precautions and a new design concept, it was possible to open the new Elephant House in 2016. The costs for the project ran to 22 million euros. We are standing on the gallery of the building and are looking into the animal bathing pool. Today all the elephants move around freely in outdoor areas. 

I remember as a child visiting the Stuttgart Zoo, the Wilhelma, and being allowed to feed the elephants with peanuts. That would be unthinkable today. Protecting animals from visitors (and the other way around) has top priority in German zoos. But that is not the only issue: “My job is also about healthy management,” says Baban and so you quickly dispense with the naive idea that a zoo director spends his entire day cuddling baby monkeys in a Hawaiian shirt.

The zoo is a major operation. Not only does Baban have to manage around 220 employees, take responsibility for sales of around 16 million euros per year, and guarantee the safety of 2.5 million visitors – but above all offer animals a good home. And one that is as species-appropriate as possible, which is no easy task. Nowadays zoos repeatedly come under heavy criticism from animal conservationists.

Baban is not some kind of cold manager who just stares at figures all day – he has a soft spot for animals.

However, I am pretty sure of this – the animals in Hellabrunn feel very much at home in their habitat. The stately lion who loiters on the lawn, the cute Humboldt penguins who leap into the water after taking a run-up, the red giant kangaroo in his enclosure: they all seem to be very relaxed. Rasem Baban, married with three grown-up children, lives with his family in the middle of the zoo’s grounds. “It is as if my children have hundreds of pets,” he says and laughs. Baban is not some kind of cold manager who just stares at figures all day – he has a soft spot for animals. This isn’t just noticeable in the enthusiasm that he shows for the lemurs, but at every new enclosure that we visit on this day.

We continue on to the polar bears. They too are lying in the sun and seem to have accepted their new home very happily – the Polar World was completely redesigned in 2010. What is particularly interesting is that to the rear, the polar bear enclosure is not fenced off, but positioned over a large overgrown trench. For visitors it looks like the polar bears could leave their enclosure at any time. “But they can’t of course,” says Rasem Baban. “But this too is important to us: to design the boundary for the animals to be as natural as possible.”

The Polar World is a good example of the tried-and-tested concept of the geozoo. The geozoo is an ancient Munich invention from 1928 and has been implemented since then in many serious zoos worldwide. A geozoo means that the animals in Hellabrunn are not sorted by species but accommodated according to the continents they come from.

“You wouldn’t believe it but some children no longer know what a cock looks like.“
Rasem Baban

That is why penguins and seals also live in the Polar World, in addition to the polar bears. Even the catering is set up according to the appropriate theme: young salted herring rolls and fish & chips are served in the Polar World. In addition there is a jungle world, a Mongolian steppe and a South America installation – the most recent themed world to be set up in Hellabrunn is the Mühlendorf (“Bavarian Village Environment”).

It was opened in the summer of 2018 and spanning around 20,000 square metres is a type of zoo within a zoo. “In the Mühlendorf, we want to bring visitors close again in particular to indigenous species,” says Rasem Baban. “You wouldn’t believe it but some children no longer know what a cock looks like.” In the Mühlendorf there are animals whose homeland is Germany: chickens, cows, pigs, goats. For fans of exotic animal breeds, this might sound boring but it isn’t at all. There is even a trout hatchery within the wooden structures of the Mühlendorf.

I am keen to know more as at the end of the day I recently obtained my fishing license and since then I have almost exclusively been focusing on fish-related pursuits. I find out that the trouts that emerge from the eggs in Hellabrunn will be released at a later stage into the River Isar. And then I think perhaps they will land on my plate at some point.

The Mühlendorf also houses three small kunekune pigs – a type of pig from New Zealand. Because there are hardly any old German pig species left, the zoo has instead chosen these pets. The pigs look like they are wearing wigs. Native biodiversity is of paramount importance in Mühlendorf. “It is not just exotic animals that are sometimes threatened by extinction but also certain domestic species,” says Rasem Baban. “Here we see it as our full responsibility to protect these animals.”

„It is not just exotic animals that are sometimes threatened by extinction but also certain domestic species.”
Rasem Baban

In a glass case, I discover a couple of young grass snakes – and a fire salamander. This blows my socks off as well. I must admit, I have often seen tigers and lions in zoos but never a salamander. And the tiny grass snakes who curl around in their mossy glass case show considerably more action than, for example, the green long-nosed bush viper or the white-lipped cobra who generally hang completely lifelessly in the branches.

Does the zoo director actually have a favourite animal? “No, I honestly don’t,” says Rasem Baban and laughs. “I like them all equally.” I believe him. And at the end of the day, I think the same thing.

 

 

Text: Heike Kottmann; Photos: Frank Stolle
Young woman stands between two trees and looks at a sun-drenched meadow in Munich.

Nymphenburger Schlosspark

A local safari

Beavers, tawny owls, kingfishers: with a bit of luck, you can see many wild animals in Nymphenburg Castle Park. A visit.

Deer, beavers, adders, kingfishers, tawny owls, Canada geese: with a little luck, you can see all sorts of wildlife in Nymphenburger Schlosspark – in the heart of the city!

Two women on wheels cycle in the green into the evening sun in Munich.

Interview

A touch of wildnerness

A talk about the great outdoors, the magic of the woods and the love of the Northern English Garden.

A talk about the great outdoors, the magic of the woods and the love of the Northern English Garden.

Three tourists on the Olympia Mountain viewing platform overlooking the park.

City Walks

The north-south passage: hiking across Munich

A hiking tour through Munich – always towards the sun.

A hiking tour through Munich – always towards the sun: from BMW Welt in the north to the lake at Hinterbrühl in the south. In just one day!

Monopteros in the Englischer Garten in Munich.

City Walks

The east-west passage: hiking across Munich

Munich is a village. Right?

Munich is a village, you can do everything by foot here. That is what they say. But is that true? We gave it a try - and went on a hike!

A man on a bicycle in the evening sun in the Maxvorstadt in Munich

Cycling tours: grand city tour

Grand city tour

Discover the beauty of Munich outside of the city center at the grand city tour by bike.

From the centre of the old town to the Kunstareal art district, and on to the former summer residence of the Wittelsbach family, to the Olympic Park and back across Leopoldstraße. 

Two women with a bicycle on a pier by a lake in Bavaria.

Wasser-Radlwege Oberbayern

Bathe, banter, bike

Whether „Hopfen and Bier-Schleife“, „Salz-Schleife“ or „Kunst- and Kulturschleife“, Munich is the hub for all routes of the water cycle paths.

Whether „Hopfen and Bier-Schleife“, „Salz-Schleife“ or „Kunst- and Kulturschleife“, Munich is the hub for all routes of the water cycle paths.

Munich Card & City Pass

Discover Munich in a relaxed and uncomplicated way: discounts for the diverse range of art, culture and leisure activities with our guest cards.

Public transport is included

Many discounts with the Card, many things for free with the Pass.

Online or at the tourist information offices

Munich's Palace of Justice

Justizpalast Tour

During the guided tour of the present-day seat of the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice, you will learn everything about the history and significance of the neo-baroque court and administrative building.

Book now for only 20€ !

During the guided tour of the present-day seat of the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice, you will learn everything about the history and significance of the neo-baroque court and administrative building.

Small meeting room of the Neues Rathaus in Munich

New Town Hall Tour

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Book now from 20 €

Explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Magistrates, Monachia and magnificent celebrations: explore the Neue Rathaus on Marienplatz with an official City of Munich tour guide. A visit of the famous law library is also included!

Exterior view of the Hofbräuhaus Munich at dusk.

Hofbräuhaus Tour

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Book for 28€, Mass beer included!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Discover the most famous beer hall in the world with an official guide of the city of Munich and enjoy a fresh Mass of beer afterward!

Towers at Marienplatz in Munich

Old Town Tour

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

Book now for 18 €!

The city walk for everyone who wants to become acquainted with the most beautiful parts of Munich's city centre.

Wort kettle at the Spaten brewery in Munich.

Spaten Brewery Tour

Experience a brewery tour at Spaten with a look behind the scenes, interesting facts about the company history and beer tasting in the brewery tower.

Book now for only 22 €!

Experience a brewery tour at Spaten with a look behind the scenes, interesting facts about the company history and beer tasting in the brewery tower.

A woman with varnished fingernails holds a gift with the inscription "simply Munich".

Vouchers

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

Buy vouchers from 6,50 €

Buy now vouchers for your visit in Munich. The ideal gift! Guided tours, guest cards and more...

A stone jug with the inscription Oktoberfest Munich.

Order now!

Oktoberfest Shop

Bring a piece of Oktoberfest home: Purchase official souvenirs such as the Wiesn poster or the Oktoberfest beer stein in the official Oktoberfest shop.

Bring a piece of Oktoberfest home: Purchase official souvenirs such as the Wiesn poster or the Oktoberfest beer stein in the official Oktoberfest shop.

A woman in the exhibition "Der Blaue Reiter" in the Lenbachhaus in Munich

Discovery trip incl. City Pass

2 nights in your selected hotel and - thanks to the City Pass - free admission to 45 museums, sights and attractions: our travel package for explorers.

3 days from 313 € for 2 Pers.

2 nights in your selected hotel and - thanks to the City Pass - free admission to 45 museums, sights and attractions: our travel package for explorers.

Bag on green background

Vouchers

Give the gift of a special Munich voucher: we also offer vouchers for all our guided tours. Here you can book unique Munich experiences directly online, print them out and give them as a gift voucher to friends or family.

Buy vouchers from 6,50 €

Give the gift of a special Munich voucher: we also offer vouchers for all our guided tours. Here you can book unique Munich experiences directly online, print them out and give them as a gift voucher to friends or family.