Zoo

“Among the most beautiful places in Blankenburg and its surroundings is undoubtedly the zoo with its shady green linden avenues, the fresh green of its lawn, the fragrant flowers in May and the wonderful view of the nearby Harz Mountains. At the same time, however, the zoo (the gender of the word "zoo" changed in the Middle Ages) also belongs to those places of our closer homeland that have been closely linked to the history of the city from time immemorial, and of great importance for the city even before the Blankenburg were of the greatest importance for the local area ... "

(excerpt from “Blankenburg zoo in the mirror of time“, by G. Sander)

In addition to the ensemble of the castle gardens, the zoo (Thiepark) is the largest park in Blankenburg (Harz). The zoo has a somewhat turbulent history; being a place of warfare when it was used as a storage area during the Thirty Years' War in the 12th century, while in the 19th century it was used as a courthouse. Even in pre-Carolingian times, hundreds gathered at what would have been an open-air amphitheatre, as a place of judgment and assembly under the protection of the gods.

Today the zoo with its green linden avenues, wide meadows and the fountain in the centre shows itself as a place of relaxation and tranquillity in the middle of the city.