PELICANS, COLOGNE.
Near the lion house is a machine house producing electricity for the restaurant and pumping water for ponds. Before the machine house is a pretty grotto with a waterfall which leads by a brook into the ponds.
CHAPTER XIV
ZOOLOGISCHER GARTEN, ELBERFELD: DIRECTORS, MESSRS. HERRMAN AND RIEMAN
The Zoological Garden in Elberfeld was founded in 1879 by a number of citizens in the form of a company. The opening of the Garden took place on September 17, 1881. The Garden, which has an area of about 137,641 square yards, lies in the west of Elberfeld, at the end of the town parks adjoining some plantations. The Garden owes much of its attraction to the beauty of the valleys and hills amongst which it is situated, and has on this account been much frequented by artists. It has been considered the most beautiful Garden in the whole of Germany. The number of animals, however, is small. The main object of the Garden is to afford the public a pleasant spot in which to amuse themselves, and for this purpose there are frequent concerts and fairs.
The restaurant can hold 25,000 people.
After a long drive uphill and right out of the town in a most rickety old cab, which I expected would come to bits every minute, I arrived at the Garden, laid out upon the side of a hill, with a large and thick wood in the background. Close by the entrance-gate was an enormous concert-hall and café, with a little open-air theatre behind. Going uphill on the left, past some very nice asphalt tennis-courts and a duck-pond, you reach a large brown bear and wolves’ den. On a steep bank was a herd of red deer, with some fallow deer, whilst higher up was a pair of Barbary sheep, with a young one.
There were many pretty walks leading through beech and birch trees down to a large boating lake. Although not rich in animals, the Garden is picturesquely situated.