Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Looking at the Remanents of the Combination Shaft as it Sits Today
The Combination Shaft
Berlin Wall Section in Trelleborg
Organic Building
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The original owner opened up in the Bay Area in 1920, but came to this location in 1927.
Barney’s Beanery
Cat Caffe Zagreb
Akureyri Domino’s Pizza
Site of the Original Krispy Kreme Doughnut Shop
Neuhaus Chocolate Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Nevada has the highest percentage of public land in the lower 48 states.
Where to Experience the Best of Nevada’s Public Lands
Jane August poses in front of the painting, “The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, 1882,” by John Singer Sargent at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Visiting every museum in New York City
Welcome to The Obscura Society
Taking advantage of Florida’s never-ending summer, Sajoma has a spacious outdoor eating area.
Pedro Rodriguez Is on a Quest for Freshness

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Berlin The Return of the Cows
The Return of the Cows is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

The Return of the Cows

Art and a pun, all in one.

Berlin, Germany

Added By
Rebecca Grossman-Kahn
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Up (and down) they go.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/artie_ha/5820...
The pasture is still there, the cows have moved on   rudimarnitz / Atlas Obscura User
This was as close as I could get. It was blocked off.   werdi97 / Atlas Obscura User
  wodan1488 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

There aren't many reasons to visit quiet Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Strasse, which lies on the bleeding edge of gentrified Prenzlauerberg's encroachment into (formerly) gritty Friedrichshain. But Sergej Dott's whimsical public art installation, "Die Rückkehr der Kühe" ("The Return of the Cows") just might make it worth the trip.

Halfway down the block, if you peer into the empty lot and look up, you'll see a green field full of larger-than-life cows "walking" up and down the side of a pre-war Berlin apartment house.

Dott specializes in public installations, including the cow installations he calls "Kuhunst." Savvy Germanophiles will recognize the pun on the German words for art ("Kunst") and cow ("Kuh"). Another can be found just west of The Return of the Cows, at Kollwitzstraße 18 in Prenzlauerberg.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Outsider Architecture Architecture

Know Before You Go

Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Strasse runs for only one block. Roughly halfway down, look south through a vacant lot.

The Cows are temporarily down for construction. 

Community Contributors

Added By

rebeccaclara

Edited By

maxx310, juliusniemeyer1995, rudimarnitz, Rachel...

  • maxx310
  • juliusniemeyer1995
  • rudimarnitz
  • Rachel
  • wodan1488
  • werdi97

Published

March 5, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Return of the Cows
Dietrich-Bonhoeffer Strasse 23
Berlin, 10407
Germany
52.534225, 13.434671
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Ernst Thälmann Monument

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Wasserturm Prenzlauer Berg

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Judengang

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Berlin

Berlin

Germany

Places 156
Stories 18

Nearby Places

Ernst Thälmann Monument

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Wasserturm Prenzlauer Berg

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Judengang

Berlin, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Berlin

Berlin

Germany

Places 156
Stories 18

Related Places

  • The Hermit House.

    Herzliya, Israel

    The Hermit House

    This marvelous work of outsider architecture is built into the cliffs of an Israeli beach.

  • Exterior of Castle, with cemetery .

    Greenback, Tennessee

    Fortress of Faith (Greenback Castle)

    One man has spent decades faithfully constructing this unique brick and cinderblock castle.

  • Los Angeles, California

    Mosaic Tile House

    Rainbow-hued local gem in Venice.

  • La Maison Sculptée.

    Amanlis, France

    La Maison Sculptée

    An enchanting work of outsider art, full of whimsical sculptures and carvings.

  • Front entrance to the Whale House.

    Santa Barbara, California

    Whale House

    This stunning sea creature-shaped home blends into the landscape like a fantasy villa.

  • Castle Otttis

    St. Augustine, Florida

    Castle Otttis

    Two men built this castle on the Florida coast as an artistic “landscape sculpture.”

  • The church with its domed bell tower.

    Blantyre, Malawi

    Saint Michael and All Angels Church

    This amateur-built East African church with mismatched towers is an architectural abnormality.

  • The Kettle House in Galveston, Texas

    Galveston, Texas

    The Kettle House

    This tiny, hurricane-resistant house in Galveston is one of the city's most notable architectural oddities.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.