"Berlin isn’t exactly short of impressive parks, but the 520-acre Tiergarten, stretching westward from Brandenburg Gate, is one of the city’s largest, most central, and most historic. The area, originally a royal hunting ground, became a park in the 18th century, and prominent landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné redesigned it in the 19th century with some English garden elements. Largely destroyed during World War II, the park was subsequently used to grow potatoes and other food for starving locals. Today’s replanted gardenattracts strollers, joggers, bladers, and cyclists with its landscaped meadows, lakes and gardens, and winding paths. There are also several historic monuments and a couple of excellent beer gardens such as the Café am Neuen See and Schleusenkrug, both perfect stops for pre- or post-stroll sustenance."