The bear pit in Köllnischer Park still bears numerous traces of its past use as the long-standing home of Berlin’s heraldic animals. Now artists and scientists are responding to the history of the site with site-specific interventions and spatial installations. Workshops and events establish links to cultural urban design, the history of Berlin and contemporary art. The bear pit has thus developed into one of the ‘most exciting places for contemporary art’ (Kunstforum 2020) alongside the monastery ruins.
The curatorial programme is designed by a changing team of academic volunteers from the Department of Art, Culture and History. The exhibitions and events are dedicated to diverse forms and formats and explore the potential of the location for artistic positions.In 2017, after almost two years of vacancy, the department took over responsibility for this cultural monument, which has developed into an urban attraction with a high level of recognition and popularity. The immense identity-forming effect of the Bärenzwinger on Berlin’s citizens is therefore also of exemplary value, both for future urban design in the northern Luisenstadt district and for the nearby historic centre of Berlin. In this sense, the Bärenzwinger is being developed as a public cultural learning and teaching venue and as a knowledge platform for urban culture.