Description of the attraction
Wroclaw Zoo is the oldest and largest (in terms of the number of animals) zoo in Poland, founded in 1865. The zoo covers an area of 30 hectares. The zoo is home to over 7100 animals representing over 850 species. The zoo is an accredited member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
The idea of building the zoo belonged to the mayor of Wroclaw, Julius Jelvanger, who in 1862 began to collect the necessary funds. Most of the buildings in the garden were designed by the architect Karl Schmidt in the eclectic style. The opening of the zoo took place three years later, since then the zoo has been working all the time, having closed only twice: after the First World War in 1921-1927, and also from April 1945 to July 18, 1948.
In 2007, having won the competition, Radoslaw Radoszak became the new director of the zoo. He immediately began to modernize the garden in order to improve the living conditions of animals and its development. A new housing for brown bears, an island of lemurs and a butterfly house were opened. In August 2010, a pygmy hippopotamus was born at the zoo, which was a real event of the year!
In April 2012, an oceanarium was built, new rare species of animals were introduced. Currently, the Wroclaw Zoo is home to more than 1,500 birds, 1,700 reptiles, 2,600 fish (108 species), more than 600 birds (154 species).
