Berlin Bears

Berlin’s colorful life-size Buddy Bears have been on tour around the world as Germany’s ambassadors of goodwill since 2002.

I find the uniquely decorated bears throughout the city so adorable that I dedicate this blog to them.

But how did they get there in the first place? Here is a brief history of the bears that brighten up Berlin.

Berlin History and the Bear Coat of Arms

Berlin’s founding date is set at 1237 as evidenced by a handwritten document, the earliest that exists for the city.  From 1253, the city seal featured an eagle, the symbol of the Margraviate of Brandenburg that includes Berlin. In 1280, a second city seal appeared with the Brandenburg eagle flanked by two standing bears. When Cölln and Berlin were officially merged into one city in 1709, the coat of arms featured the bear with a neck band below two eagles -red for Brandenburg and black for Prussia. By 1875, the bear no longer had the neckband and gained a wall-crown, symbolizing Berlin’s status as a free city.

The Buddy Bear project

Inspired by a cow parade in New York City, Klaus and Eva Herlitz launched the Buddy Bear project, along with sculptor Roman Strobl.  The bear was their animal of choice because it has long been the symbol on Berlin’s coat of arms.

These Buddy Bears are designed to promote tolerance and peace amongst the world’s many different religions and cultures. The original Buddy Bears are posed standing with both arms up in the air as a symbol of kindliness and optimism.

Nowadays, the bears are part of Berlin’s cityscape and they travel around the world to promote tolerance and international understanding – always standing together hand in hand. on their global tour.

The circle of United Buddy Bears was realized in 2002. Each bear in the circle represents a country acknowledged by the United Nations.

More than 100 bears with a unique identity have been created by talented artists and placed in different locations all over Berlin.

The project met with a great success, attracting thousands of delighted visitors, including us!

Read our blog about must-see sites in Berlin here…

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