IllustrationCome to Bürgerpark Pankow for a gentle walk between old trees, flower beds and the Panke, with time to watch the park’s goats.
Come to Bürgerpark Pankow for a gentle walk between old trees, flower beds and the Panke, with time to watch the park’s goats. Begin at the three-part gateway on Wilhelm-Kuhr-Straße: it makes a memorable entrance to this roughly 12-hectare former private garden. Beyond it, paths open around a broad lawn, and benches give you plenty of reasons to slow down. Choose a few stops rather than treating the park as a checklist.
The rose garden and its historic music pavilion are a lovely place to pause in the flowering season. Compare a tightly packed flower with a more open one, then look at how climbing roses use the pergola. Towards the western side, the volunteer-tended scent and herb garden offers another kind of close-up looking. Its labelled plants grow in tiers held by stone walls. Read a label together, find the matching plant and watch whichever insects arrive naturally; leave the herbs where they are.
Along the Panke, the scale changes from small flowers to substantial trees. The old bald cypress is particularly worth looking for from the riverside path north of the rose garden. Its autumn colour and eventual loss of foliage are a useful reminder that a conifer need not stay green all winter. The goats belong to a managed enclosure elsewhere in the park. Watch them from the public side, give resting animals space and keep all food to yourselves.
Bring your own snack and make this a garden-and-tree outing for now. Café Rosengarten is closed, and the northern playground opposite Am Bürgerpark 15–18 is closed for refurbishment, with completion expected at the end of 2026. Check the borough’s latest notices before planning a play stop. The separate Kinderbauernhof Pinke-Panke nearby has its own entrance and visiting arrangements. Unlock an interactive field guide for this spot: get the Snappit app to identify nature on the go.
Hermann Killisch von Horn, founder of the Berliner Börsen-Zeitung, acquired the property in 1856 and developed a country estate beside the Panke. Gardener Wilhelm Perring helped shape its landscape and planting. In 1907 the municipality bought the grounds, preventing subdivision and opening a new chapter as Bürgerpark. The park later expanded north of the river and was substantially redesigned in the 1960s. Its present character combines the surviving gateway and mature trees with later gardens and community care. The little Parkbücherei first opened in 1955; volunteers brought it back into use in 2019.
For a short visit, walk from the main gateway beside the central lawn and Parkbücherei towards the goat enclosure, then return to the same gate on the open park paths. Stop wherever you can watch without crowding the fence. A path beside the enclosure is being renewed, with works scheduled through mid-October 2026, so leave that branch out if it is still fenced off.
For a longer outing, add the labelled herb beds, the rose garden and a look along the Panke before returning to the main gateway. Use a public footbridge to reach the opposite riverside path if it is open and suits your mobility needs, then return over the same bridge. This is a suggested sequence of sights, with no measured route length. The little hills and steps around the enclosure and terraced beds can be omitted; there is plenty to see from the ordinary park paths.
School-age children may enjoy the tourist office’s German-language Augen Auf Rallye. Its park section begins at the gateway and is aimed at ages seven and up. Save the separate cemetery section for another outing if attention is fading, and remember to allow for getting back to your entrance.
Check entrance notices and the borough’s playground closure list before setting off. Work near the goats was scheduled from mid-August to mid-October 2026, subject to weather; the expected finish is not a reopening guarantee. Rose displays, water features, concerts and the volunteer-run Parkbücherei are seasonal. A garden visit does not depend on them all being available. After heavy rain, choose firmer paths; in strong wind or a thunderstorm, postpone a walk beneath the old trees.
Paths include asphalt and compacted mineral surfaces, with natural-stone paving planned on part of the renewed enclosure-side path. There are also slopes and steps around the landscaped hills and terraced planting. With a wheelchair or pushchair, keep to the main paths, assess bridges and diversions as you reach them, and turn back before an unsuitable section. Do not assume that every bridge approach or diversion will be step-free, or that an accessible toilet will be available. The closed café’s toilets are unavailable, so arrange a toilet stop before arriving.
An ornate entrance framing the start of a neighbourhood park walk.
A place to sit, compare flowers and enjoy the garden’s formal layout.
A slow waterside stroll with the old bald cypress as a distinctive subject.
Label-reading and insect watching, followed by a calm enclosure stop when access permits.
Start at the ornamental gateway on Wilhelm-Kuhr-Straße, walk beside the lawn and Parkbücherei to an open public viewing place at the goat enclosure, then retrace the open park paths. If the approach to the enclosure is blocked, enjoy the lawn-side trees and make the return early.
Assess bridges, surfaces and diversions before continuing; return by the same suitable path.
Start at the main gateway, take the lawn-side path towards the goats, then continue on open paths past the herb beds to the rose garden. Add the Panke-side trees, using an open public footbridge for the opposite bank if suitable. Return over that same bridge and retrace the garden and lawn paths to the gateway. This suggested walk stops within the park and does not continue into Friedhof III.
Assess bridges, surfaces and diversions before continuing; return by the same suitable path.
At the rose garden, each person chooses one flower shape to find again in another colour. At the herb beds, choose a labelled plant and see who spots its next insect visitor first. Keep the game on the paths, with photographs rather than collected flowers.
If the Parkbücherei is open, pick something to read together and settle on a park bench. The library depends on seasonal volunteer cover, so bring your own small book as a backup and check its current arrangements on arrival.
In light rain, take a brief gateway-and-tree walk on firm open paths and leave the extended garden visit for another day. Bring a waterproof layer and avoid wet slopes. The closed café and seasonal library are not a dependable indoor plan; in poor weather, reschedule.
The park’s old bald cypress stands beside the Panke north of the rose garden. Look at its trunk and fine foliage from the public path, then compare the same view in autumn. It is a planted park tree; this conifer sheds its foliage for winter.
Watch for maple leaves that flash pale underneath when the breeze turns them. A close view of an attached leaf and a wider view of the tree make a better identification record than a distant crown alone. Keep to the paths for both views.
In the Rosengarten, compare flower shapes, colours and the way different plants grow. A single bloom and the surrounding plant tell different parts of the story. These are cultivated roses of several kinds, so photograph labels where present rather than assigning every flower a wild species name.
Look for the large, heart-shaped leaves of the park’s catalpas and, when present, long, narrow seed pods. Photograph leaves and pods together from the path. These ornamental trumpet trees include different kinds, so a leaf photograph alone may not settle which one you have found.
Bumblebees visit the herb beds in the flowering season. Choose a patch you can see from the path and wait for one to land, keeping enough distance for it to feed undisturbed. Different bumblebees can look alike, so enjoy the encounter without needing to settle the species immediately.
Watch the enclosed goats from a quiet spot on the public side of the fence. Let their own movement choose the photograph, and put snacks away. They are cared-for domestic animals, not wild sightings; skip the stop if construction barriers prevent safe access.
Rose planting, the herb terraces and other maintained beds are cultivated garden habitats. They can attract wild flower visitors, but a planted species and a naturally arriving insect should be recorded differently.
The Panke and the mature tree canopy give the walk a different feel from the open lawn. Observe from public paths and bridges, leaving river edges, roots and planting undisturbed.
The goats live in a managed enclosure. Viewing them is separate from looking for wild animals, and the neighbouring children’s farm is a separate venue.
The historical landscape was shaped with Wilhelm Perring’s help. Today, volunteers maintain the stepped herb garden and other beds in cooperation with the borough. The labels are a good invitation to look closely at work that continues from season to season.
Benches and recreational lawns make a picnic practical. Café Rosengarten is closed and its toilets cannot be used; arrange a toilet stop before arriving. The northern playground is closed for refurbishment, with completion expected at the end of 2026. Seasonal library access and garden events have separate arrangements.
Use Wilhelm-Kuhr-Straße 9 for the ornamental main gateway. Wollankstraße is useful for the western approach, while Bürgerpark Pankow is a stop name near the eastern side. Check a current journey planner for the best connection and the route to your chosen entrance.
Each card links to a full Explore page with photos, traits, and fun facts.
Start with the big picture, then zoom in to explore individual wildlife observations around this place.
Choose your arrival
Wollankstraße station has an exit towards Wilhelm-Kuhr-Straße/Am Bürgerpark. Bürgerpark Pankow and Wilhelm-Kuhr-Straße are useful stop names to enter in your journey planner. Check the actual services and return trip for your day.
Pack a picnic
Bring drinks and something to eat. Café Rosengarten is closed, but you can still enjoy the rose garden and find a bench for your own refreshments.
Keep the goats healthy
Do not feed them, including with leaves picked in the park. Take photographs from outside the enclosure and follow the on-site signs.
Give the planting room
Stay on paths through the rose and herb beds. Read the labels without picking leaves or flowers, and let insects come to the plants without trying to catch them.
Dogs
Keep dogs on a lead and off playgrounds and sunbathing lawns. They must not bathe in the water; assistance-dog exceptions apply. Clean up after them and follow any additional signs.
Leave wheels and games space
Cycle, skate and play ball only in areas designated for those activities. Keep the garden paths comfortable for people strolling or stopping to look.
Choose a cold picnic
Do not light a fire. Barbecues are allowed only in specifically designated areas; no grill site is recommended here.
Playground closure
Spielplatz 1, opposite Am Bürgerpark 15–18, is closed for refurbishment with completion expected at the end of 2026. Check the borough’s latest list and follow the barriers; the expected finish may change.
Recent snaps will appear here as new observations are added.
Maryland, US
You might spot White-Tailed Deer and Eastern Gray Squirrel.
View guide →
District of Columbia, US
You might spot Eastern Gray Squirrel, Duck, and House Sparrow.
View guide →
Illinois, US
You might spot American Robin, Canada Goose, and House Sparrow.
View guide →
Virginia, US
You might spot Spotted Lanternfly and Northern Cardinal.
View guide →
Take the discovery with you
Identify the wildlife you spot, learn as you go, and keep a collection of the adventure.
