15.10.2019 - Ausgabe: 5/2019

The real highlight of Cologne Zoo

For more than a century (for one hundred years in 2013), GAG Immobilien AG (a real estate agency) has been a part of Cologne - just like the Cologne Zoo. Since its foundation in the year 1860, it has been and still is one of the main attractions of the city. It is situated in the northern district Riehl, where, inter alia, the historic Naumann settlement of GAG is located. The Zoo provides a home for more than 10,000 pets of approximately 700 species. Each year, more than one and a half million visitors come to the Cologne Zoo to see the impressive Elephant House with its spacious exterior grounds, to observe the hippos and crocodiles in the so-called "Hippodrom", to be amused about the vivid meerkats or to show respect for the numerous predatory cats.

 

Climbing area and jungle huts 

But at least as famous as the animals is the highlight at the end of the zoo: the impressive playground area. It is generations of visitors who have already been frolicking through these fields and have good memories of the swings, slides and the former climbing railway from where - in the midst of the background noise of a Zoo - one could review the daily highlights. But, precisely due to its popularity, it had to be renewed and adapted urgently to the needs of the kids of today. Thus, GAG acted as a generous sponsor and assumed most of the costs for the new playground.

 

Imaginative adventure world

"Almira" is the name of the imaginative adventure world which attracts the young visitors with climbing areas, boat planks and jungle huts. Its name is based on a story which tells that many years ago a ship called "Almira" loaded with precious luxury goods was caught in a storm and finally shattered into pieces while its crew was flushed to the land. However, the remains of the ship were converted into a new, imaginative adventure world. This could be the story about the creation of the new adventure playground of the Cologne Zoo because it really looks like a fantasy product. In reality, it was the good ideas of the zoo operators, the precise planning of the builders and architects involved as well as the financial support of GAG Immobilien AG making this dream come true.

"We are very happy to be able to open the new playground at the beginning of the Easter holidays, despite the bad weather", says board member of Cologne Zoo, Theo Pagel.

"For our centenary we do not just want to praise ourselves, but also give something back to the people of this city," says GAG chairman Uwe Eichner regarding the strong commitment for the playground project.

Together with Christopher Landsberg, board member of Cologne Zoo, who had the idea for the playground and Elfi Scho-Antwerpes, the former mayor of the city of Cologne, all persons involved ceremoniously cut the red ribbon by thus opening the playground for a total of 140 children of the GAG kindergarten who were invited together with their brothers, sisters and parents to come to the official inauguration.

The children were very excited about the impressive shipwreck, about climbing onto it and feeling like the captain, as well as about the genuine sailor swing on which one could feel the wind around one’s nose, the two climbing courses to test one’s own sailing fitness, the two box towers where the food and other supplies for the sailing crew  as well as other valuable pieces are stored, and last but not least about the Asian-looking tower, on the top deck of which one can be on the lookout for other foreign vessels.

The playground was designed and built by the company Künstlerische Holzgestaltung Jürgen Bergmann under the lead of the garden and landscape architect Heinz-Jürgen Ingenillem. 

„With this spacious area for our young visitors we have created a new theme park which is unique in Cologne. In addition, the new restaurant area next to it allows the adults to have a rest with a cup of coffee and some snacks while their children discover the mysterious adventures of "Almira and its crew", concludes Zoo Board Member Christopher Landsberg.

 

For the people who live here

Without the commitment of GAG, the zoo operators would not have been able to establish the new attractions. In order to say thank you, the zoo operators decided to give 25,000 free entrance tickets to GAG for their tenants.