Through the Lion Gate

A History of the Berlin Zoo

Nonfiction, History, Germany, European General
Cover of the book Through the Lion Gate by Gary Bruce, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gary Bruce ISBN: 9780190235000
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: July 3, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Gary Bruce
ISBN: 9780190235000
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: July 3, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In 1943, fierce aerial bombardment razed the Berlin zoo and killed most of its animals. But only two months after the war's end, Berliners had already resurrected it, reopening its gates and creating a symbol of endurance in the heart of a shattered city. As this episode shows, the Berlin zoo offers one of the most unusual--yet utterly compelling--lenses through which to view German history. This enormously popular attraction closely mirrored each of the political systems under which it existed: the authoritarian monarchy of the kaiser, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the post-1945 democratic and communist states. Gary Bruce provides the first English-language history of the Berlin zoo, from its founding in 1844 until the 1990 unification of the West Berlin and East Berlin zoos. At the center of the capital's social life, the Berlin zoo helped to shape German views not only of the animal world but also of the human world for more than 150 years. Given its enormous reach, the German government used the zoo to spread its political message, from the ethnographic display of Africans, Inuit, and other "exotic" peoples in the late nineteenth century to the Nazis' bizarre attempts to breed back long-extinct European cattle. By exploring the intersection of zoology, politics, and leisure, Bruce shows why the Berlin zoo was the most beloved institution in Germany for so long: it allowed people to dream of another place, far away from an often grim reality. It is not purely coincidence that the profound connection of Berliners to their zoo intensified through the bloody twentieth century. Its exotic, iconic animals--including Rostom the elephant, Knautschke the hippo, and Evi the sun bear--seemed to satisfy, even partially, a longing for a better, more tranquil world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1943, fierce aerial bombardment razed the Berlin zoo and killed most of its animals. But only two months after the war's end, Berliners had already resurrected it, reopening its gates and creating a symbol of endurance in the heart of a shattered city. As this episode shows, the Berlin zoo offers one of the most unusual--yet utterly compelling--lenses through which to view German history. This enormously popular attraction closely mirrored each of the political systems under which it existed: the authoritarian monarchy of the kaiser, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the post-1945 democratic and communist states. Gary Bruce provides the first English-language history of the Berlin zoo, from its founding in 1844 until the 1990 unification of the West Berlin and East Berlin zoos. At the center of the capital's social life, the Berlin zoo helped to shape German views not only of the animal world but also of the human world for more than 150 years. Given its enormous reach, the German government used the zoo to spread its political message, from the ethnographic display of Africans, Inuit, and other "exotic" peoples in the late nineteenth century to the Nazis' bizarre attempts to breed back long-extinct European cattle. By exploring the intersection of zoology, politics, and leisure, Bruce shows why the Berlin zoo was the most beloved institution in Germany for so long: it allowed people to dream of another place, far away from an often grim reality. It is not purely coincidence that the profound connection of Berliners to their zoo intensified through the bloody twentieth century. Its exotic, iconic animals--including Rostom the elephant, Knautschke the hippo, and Evi the sun bear--seemed to satisfy, even partially, a longing for a better, more tranquil world.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Early Christianity: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Digital Discourse by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book The Global Auction by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book ADHD by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Competing by Design by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Atlantic Slave Trade: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Beyond GDP by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Family Relationships by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book The Hospice Companion by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book The Shape of Thought by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book A Matter of Style by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Rationality and the Good by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book The Link between Religion and Health by Gary Bruce
Cover of the book Shariah by Gary Bruce
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy