Berlin's first planetarium was built on a corner of the Zoological Garden. The dome had a diameter of 24.8 m and could seat 420 people. The planetarium was opened on November 27, 1926, after six months of construction. In its first year of operation, the planetarium attracted 450000 visitors.

During World War II, the planetarium was severely damaged. After the war, there was no interest in rebuilding it, but plans were made for the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory, from which the new planetarium at the »Insulaner« emerged in 1965. The ruins of the first planetarium were removed in 1955.