Enjoy a day of family-friendly wildlife encounters at Olderdissen Animal Park (Heimat-Tierpark Olderdissen). The origins of the zoo date back to 1930, when a local forester established a fawn shelter. Today it spreads across a 40-acre (16-hectare) area of the Teutoburg Forest and features meadows, ponds and woodland. Visit Olderdissen Animal Park to discover some 450 animals that represent 90 native species.
Wooden boardwalks and paved walkways weave throughout the park to the various enclosures. Come face-to-face with bison, brown bear, deer, highland cattle, wild boar and wolves. See semi-aquatic animals such as badgers, beavers and otters. The birdlife that inhabits the park ranges from crows and ducks to geese, kestrels, owls and swans.
Get the chance to touch and feed domesticated farm animals in the petting area. Hold out your hand and wait for cows, deer and goat to approach you. Animal food is available from machines.
Elsewhere in the park is a children’s playground with climbing frames, slides and swings. The original farmhouse building houses a restaurant that offers a variety of traditional German dishes such as schnitzel and strudel. There’s also a beer garden, coffee shop and kiosk, which sells ice cream, soft drinks and souvenirs.
The animal park is located 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) southwest from Bielefeld’s central train station and is about a 40-minute walk from the Old Town Square. There’s a large car park adjacent to the park’s entrance. From April to October a toy train operates between the Old Town, Sparrenberg Castle and the zoo. Nearby attractions worth visiting are the Bielefeld Botanical Garden and Bielefeld Farmhouse Museum.
Olderdissen Animal Park is open 24 hours a day and admission is free. Donations are welcome and all money received is put toward the park’s maintenance. A free app, called Bielefeld Zoo, is available to download to a smartphone or tablet. Keep children entertained with the app’s kid-friendly games and facts.
