They are back: Sheep and goats graze the Wannsee campus again

© HZB/K. Haas (alle Fotos)

The meadows are lush green, the ice saints (almost) over: Now is the perfect time for the sheep and goats to return from their winter quarters! Until late autumn, they will now graze the near-natural HZB campus in Wannsee and serve the natural preservation of the landscape - completely without a lawn mower.

The meadows are lush green, the ice saints (almost) over: Now is the perfect time for the sheep and goats to return from their winter quarters! Until late autumn, they will now graze the near-natural HZB campus in Wannsee and serve the natural preservation of the landscape - completely without a lawn mower.

On 14 May 2020, shepherd Olaf Kolecki brought his "protégé" back to the Wannsee campus. Among them are five sheep (4 white Skudden and one black Skudden-Pomeranian Landschaf crossbreed, five lambs (3 white Skudden lambs and 2 black lambs, mother is the crossbreed) and five goats (2 Boer goats, the brown and the brown-white and three goat lambs).

Since goats and sheep have different food preferences, this mixture is just right for maintaining the green areas. The grazing is particularly insect-friendly and contributes to increasing the biodiversity of the wild meadows. And also many employees have grown fond of the animals over the past year and have missed the bleating on the campus a little bit in the last weeks.

In an interview (GER) last year the shepherd answered many questions about his work.

Before the arrival of the sheep and goats, the fenced-in eastern area in Wannsee was still being cleaned up. At the beginning of the year the old meadow orchard was "revived". For this purpose, sheds were torn down and some trees were felled to give the old fruit trees more light again. The wood of the felled trees was piled up in several deadwood heaps. This has created an important habitat and refuge for insects and small animals.

Sustainability at HZB on the Intranet

The HZB is intensively engaged in sustainable action and research. An overview of the topics and measures can be found on the newly designed intranet pages on sustainability (GER).

(sz)

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • Berlin Battery Lab: BAM, HZB and HU are conducting joint research on sodium batteries
    News
    19.03.2026
    Berlin Battery Lab: BAM, HZB and HU are conducting joint research on sodium batteries
    The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) today officially inaugurated the Berlin Battery Lab (BBL). At this new research platform, BAM, HZB and HU jointly develop and test resource-efficient battery technologies with a focus on sodium-based systems. Together, they develop new materials, investigate innovative cell chemistries, and produce battery prototypes. The research infrastructure of the Berlin Battery Lab is also open to external partners from science and industry and is designed to accelerate the transfer from research to application.
  • Humboldt-Fellow at HZB Institute for Solar Fuels: Kayode Adesina Adegoke
    News
    18.03.2026
    Humboldt-Fellow at HZB Institute for Solar Fuels: Kayode Adesina Adegoke
    Kayode Adesina Adegoke is a renowned chemist, affiliated with LAUTECH SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities Research Group), Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. He is collaborating with Matthew Mayer to investigate the degradation of electrocatalysts during electrochemical CO₂ reduction. The Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship enables him to stay at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin up to 24 months.
  • Catalysis research at HZB gets new facility
    News
    06.03.2026
    Catalysis research at HZB gets new facility
    As part of the CatLab project, HZB has acquired a unique facility for measuring the catalytic performance of thin-film catalysts. Built by ILS in Adlershof, it has now been delivered. The facility consists of a total of eight chemical reactors in which catalytic systems can be tested. At over €2.5 million, this is the largest single investment in the CatLab project.