Vampires in German

Whilst reading the horror-pulp novella, Friedhof der Vampire by John Sinclair, I was reminded how enjoyable vampiric tales are in German. There is something about the language- the strong consonants joining those elusive umlauts to produce a cool, aloof sensuality- that makes it perfect for tales of the macabre.

Here is some vocabulary you’ll often come across:
unheimlich: eerie, uncanny
das Blut: blood
übersinnlich: supernatural
der Geist- ghost
das Grauen- horror
grauenvoll-horrifying
der Totenschädel- skull
die Leiche: corpse
gruselig: creepy
der Schrecken: dread
die Hexe: witch
der Sarg: coffin

Berlin Zoo- 19th Century and Now

On August 1, 1844 the first zoo opened in Germany. Named the Zoologischer Garten, it was funded by the King of Prussia who donated 850 animals from his own menagerie.

The idea to create a public zoo had been the idea of Alexander von Humboldt and Heinrich Lichtenstein, a zoologist. Peter Lenne was hired to design the park which allows open habitat for many of the animals to roam without bars.

Located in Berlin, it is now one of the most frequented zoos in the world, renowned not only for hosting approximately 17,000 animals (1500 different species) , but for the lush greenery.

*all photos are personal property from my last visit*