What makes the Alten Park so special? The Klarensee mirrors the historic village church on its surface. Together, the two places have formed a unit since the Middle Ages – today, young and old play and relax here.
“Maybe they’ve fallen in love already?”
Pre-school children visit the park: Children from the Leotie daycare centre often visit the park to learn about nature. They say what they like and don’t like about the park.
Audio transcription
Here you will find the podcasts audio transcription >>
Children from the Leotie daycare centre answer their teacher’s questions:
“Hi, we’re from the Leotie daycare centre, and we often come to the park. We see a lot of animals here like squirrels, sparrows, and ravens. And sometimes we have a picnic here.”
“What do you like about our park?”
“The fountain and the church and the waterfall and the great ducks. I pester my granny, because she wants to roast a mummy duck. I say, “Roast a papa duck. If you don’t and if I have to pluck a mummy duck, I’ll have a fit.”
“My favourite things are the lake and the ducks and the waterfall.”
“The best things are all the animals that live here in the forest, and the grass to roll on, and the carousel on the playground. I found great stones at the lake where the wall is, and the meadow here is really good. And the lake is great too, the playground, and many other things. Everything here is great.”
“Everything here is great, but mainly the playground and the animals.”
“I like everything.”
“What don’t you like so much about the park?”
“…that there’s plastic lying around and the animals then eat it and people ruin nature and throw out nappies and plastic and then also cut down trees. The trees should naturally grow the way they want, but shouldn’t plop into the lake. And I don’t want weeds to grow in our garden, or that the animals eat and get fat and have to be slaughtered or die from a big disease.”
“And I don’t like it when people don’t take their own rubbish away.”
“What else would you like to say?”
“…that [I don’t like it]; when someone takes a dog for a walk and the dog goes poo-poo and the person doesn’t take it away.”
“And I don’t like it when they throw their rubbish in nature, on purpose. Why are there rubbish bins? I’ve been wondering that for a long time.”
Leisure and recreation
Defences for the Templars
Klarensee is a lake with a surface area of 6,600 m2. Like other lakes and ponds here, it was formed in the last glacial period around 20,000 years ago. It has seen a lot of history. In the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar used it and artificial bodies of water to defend their compound against invaders. It was also a fish farm and an emergency source of water. If the well behind the fortifications ran dry, the Templars could use Klarensee for drinking water.
Birth of a park
More than a century ago, the Tempelhof municipality acquired the land around the Templar compound and the old village church. This included the lake known as Klarensee. The land was called Alter Park (“old park”) and was open to everyone. The lake attracted many visitors. Rowing was popular in summer and ice-skating in winter. Decorative baroque statues of angels and owls’ heads stood around the lake. The oldest tree in Alter Park is a weeping willow. It has stood on the west bank of Klarensee since 1840.
Recreation at the park
Parks have long been places for people to gather. In the early 20th century, for example, men’s choirs held public concerts in Alter Park. During the COVID pandemic of 2020-2021, many people left stones painted with rainbows and words of encouragement on the Klarensee bridge. If you read the notices posted around the park, you’ll find groups offering yoga and tai chi. A green oasis in the middle of urban life, the park is a popular place to rest and relax.