Siebenbrunn: Hellabrunn

Hellabrunn is defined by the zoological garden and the surrounding Isar meadows. Mature trees, animal enclosures, waterways and extensive walking routes give the area a leafy recreational character rather than a conventional residential one. The Isar provides a continuous recreational corridor, linking riverbanks, cycling routes, swimming places and wooded slopes across several neighboring quarters. Hellabrunn opened as the world’s first geo-zoo, arranging animals by continents rather than only by species. Enclosures, mature trees, waterways and the Isar meadows make the area a large educational and recreational landscape rather than a conventional residential quarter. Water is not only a backdrop here; it directs walking and cycling routes, opens long views and creates informal places for rest, sport and summer recreation. At its edges, the shift from traffic and built frontage to vegetation and open ground is often immediate, which gives the landscape a strong restorative effect.