Volkspark Wilmersdorf

Volkspark Wilmersdorf
Meadow in the eastern section of the park
Location in Berlin
TypeMunicipal park
LocationWilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany
Coordinates52°29′1″N 13°19′27″E / 52.48361°N 13.32417°E / 52.48361; 13.32417
Area12.3 ha (30 acres)[1]
Created1912/13 (and later stages)[2]
Operated byBezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf[2]
StatusOpen all year

Volkspark Wilmersdorf is a public park in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough of Berlin, Germany. Together with the adjacent Rudolph Wilde Park in Tempelhof-Schöneberg, it forms a linear green corridor about 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long and roughly 150 m (490 ft) wide across south-western Berlin.[3][4] The Wilmersdorf section covers about 12.3 ha (30 acres) and includes the elongated Fennsee at its western end as well as sports fields near Bundesallee.[1][2]

History

Plans for a "Seepark" (lake park) in the low lying glacial channel were pursued from the late 19th century and placed under the direction of municipal head gardener Richard Thieme in 1904.[3] Construction progressed in stages: parts were laid out in 1912/13; further sections were built up to 1920 and, after redesign, between 1933 and 1936.[2] The former Wilmersdorfer See, once used for bathing, silted up and was finally filled in during the early 1920s; the area later hosted sports grounds.[4]

During the interwar and Nazi era, the park was commonly referred to as Hindenburgpark. Contemporary plans and municipal materials from the 1920s–30s use that name,[5] as well as the annual report of the Städtische Oberrealschule am Hindenburgpark (Municipal Upper Secondary School from the Hindenburg park), in 1933/34.[6]

Layout and features

The park consists of three sections divided by major streets. East of Bundesallee, the oldest part (1912/13) follows Thieme’s landscape design and includes large lawns, plantings and a major playground near the former RIAS building (today Deutschlandradio).[2][3] A bright yellow pedestrian bridge, the Volksparksteg, completed in 1971, crosses Bundesallee and links the eastern and central parts.[3] The central section contains sports fields on the site of the former lake, and the western section is arranged around the elongated Fennsee.[2]

Public art

Near the Volksparksteg stands the Speerwerfer (Javelin Thrower), a bronze statue by Karl Möbius dated 1921; the original was melted down in 1944 and a new cast was erected on the same spot in 1954.[2][7] Other works in and around the park include the Sonnenuhr (Sundial) (1970) by Alfred Trenkel at Blissestraße and the sculpture Das Ding (The Thing) (1968) by Susanne Riée near Uhlandstraße.[8]

Use and access

The continuous green corridor is popular with walkers and runnerssince it is a roughly 2.5 km (1.6 mi) "green band" traversing two districts.[4][9] Facilities include playgrounds, table-tennis tables, lawns and ball courts; a new themed "Zauberspielplatz" (magic playground) opened in May 2024 after refurbishment.[10] In February 2025, glass shards were found and the playground was temporarily closed and then reopened after cleaning.[11][12][13]

  • The Speerwerfer (Javelin Thrower) (1921/1954) by Karl Möbius.
  • Sonnenuhr (Sundial) (1970) by Alfred Trenkel.
  • Das Ding (The Thing) (1968) by Susanne Riée.
  • Dovecote in the park in winter, 2025.

References

  1. ^ a b "232. Kiezspaziergang – Durch den Volkspark Wilmersdorf [232nd Neighborhood walk – Through Volkspark Wilmersdorf]" [232nd Neighborhood Walk – Through Volkspark Wilmersdorf]. berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Volkspark Wilmersdorf". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Volkspark Wilmersdorf, Rudolph-Wilde-Park" [Volkspark Wilmersdorf, Rudolph-Wilde-Park]. berlin.de (in German). Berlin Tourismus & Kongress. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Kuhn, Nicola (11 August 2012). "Volkspark Schöneberg-Wilmersdorf: "Das Lied vom Paradies" ["The Song of Paradise"]". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Historische Pläne vom Volkspark Wilmersdorf [Historical plans of Volkspark Wilmersdorf]". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Jahresbericht der Städtischen Oberrealschule am Hindenburgpark Berlin-Wilmersdorf – 1933/34 [Annual report of the Municipal Upper Secondary School at Hindenburgpark]". Scripta Paedagogica (in German). DIPF. 1934. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Speerwerfer". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Skulpturen und Denkmale [Sculptures and monuments]". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  9. ^ Dirk Teuber (6 May 2021). "Von Schöneberg nach Wilmersdorf – am grünen Band entlang [From Schöneberg to Wilmersdorf – along the green band]". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Berlin: Nach Glasscherben auf Zauberspielplatz – Gelände wieder geöffnet [After glass shards at magic playground – site reopens]". T-Online (in German). 4 February 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Zauberspielplatz im Volkspark Wilmersdorf aktuell gesperrt [Magic playground temporarily closed]". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Zauberspielplatz im Volkspark Wilmersdorf wieder geöffnet [Magic playground reopened]". berlin.de (in German). Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  13. ^ Dobberke, Cay (4 February 2025). "Versteckte Glasscherben: Berliner Bezirk öffnet Spielplatz nach Reinigung wieder [Hidden glass shards: district reopens playground after cleaning]". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  • Media related to Volkspark Wilmersdorf at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website


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