Europe's 100 must see exhibits

[Paul Kalisch]

The pelican enclosure in Tierpark Berlin comes to my mind as similar exhibit. There the pelicans live in the man- made water moat surrounding the Schloss Friedrichsfelde. They are able to freely roam around, yet they mostly stay in the area along the moat and the chateau. I would assume these birds are clipped, causing both enclosures, in Le Grand Parc and Tierpark Berlin, to practice a kind of animal husbandry that is disputed and in the decline.

https://www.freunde-hauptstadtzoos.de/files/content/freunde/verein/schloss-friedrichsfelde-heute.jpg

 

[Tim Brown]

For me it is difficult to accept the general grounds at Cleres as an exhibit,nice as they are, they are just the area around the chateau but with animals(and poorly labelled for the most part too). The aviaries(of which one or two are outstanding) and the gibbons(which used to be truly abysmal way back when) were more to my taste when i visited last year. That said,the whole Cleres experience is one to be imbibed and savoured.

 

[lintworm]

67. Atlanterhavstanken
Atlanterhavsparken, Ålesund, Norway
Opened: 1998
Size: 4 million litres
Inhabitants: Cod, thornback ray, saithe, halibutt and other north-Atlantic species

The US has Monterey Bay’s kelp tank, Australia has the coral reef tank of Reef HQ in Townsville and Europe has the Atlanterhavstanken. All three aquaria are huge open-topped representations of local ecosystems, which are open to the elements and where filtration means pumping in new water from the ocean nearby. While the north Atlantic ocean might not be the most stunning underwater landscape in the world, this tank is still a standout exhibit. Simply put it is a miniature version of an ecosystem, just around the corner, as close to the original as is possible in an aquarium setting, except for the higher stocking levels. The large shoals of cod and saithe make for an impressive sight through the large viewing panel. As there is no roof, there is also no artificial lighting, creating a unique view into the aquarium at every visit, with Norway’s everchanging weather. This is a testimony that if you create a huge exhibit, while keeping it relatively simple, one can make even the most “mundane” species interesting if that means that space allows for seeing huge groups or specimens up-close.

Unfortunately this aquarium is completely unrepresented on Zoochat. The aquarium website has some pictures, as has Tripadvisor:

Atlanterhavstanken

https://www.tripadvisor.nl/Attracti...k-Alesund_More_og_Romsdal_Western_Norway.html

Similar exhibits: There are two other very large tanks that also focus on the north Atlantic. The Nordsøen Oceanarium, Hirtshals, Denmark, has a slightly larger tank at 4.5 million litres, which regularly houses ocean sunfish (just not at the moment), but is a more regular indoor aquarium in design. The Ozeaneum, Stralsund, Germany, houses Germany’s largest tank at 3 million litres, but lacks a standout species currently, but is still an impressive feat.

Nordsøen Oceanarium

@Tamandua

@Batto

@Tamandua

Ozeaneum Stralsund

@lintworm

 

[Dassie rat]

Nice views of an ocean sunfish

 

[lintworm]

68. European & Tundra aviaries
Zoo Dresden, Germany
Opened: 1999 (Tundra) 2008 (European)
Size: 1200 square metres
Inhabitants: European bee-eater, Bohemian waxwing, ortolan bunting, snowy owl and a wide range of other Eurasian bird species

I am personally a big fan of thoughtful aviaries and zoos that are able to highlight European fauna. Dresden manages to combine the two with these two small aviary complexes. The Tundra aviaries are the oldest and while the collection is not as unique anymore as it was 20 years ago, there is still a lot to love. The highlight is clearly the walkthrough wader aviary, which houses the regular suspects, as well as some more rarely kept species like Bohemian waxwing and common sandpiper. This is one of those medium-sized but well landscaped walkthroughs where there is always something to explore and one can get up-close with the inhabitants. The European aviaries each highlight a different European habitat, such as wetland, forest and Mediterranean with fitting inhabitants. Although the aviaries might be somewhat small for its largest inhabitants, they are generally well landscaped and often densely planted. This can make it somewhat hard to find all the little gems that are kept here.

@lintworm

@lintworm

@lintworm

@lintworm

@lintworm

Similar exhibits: There are several zoos that have some focus on the European avifauna and it is sometimes the smaller ones that do excel, like Tierpark Lange Erlen, Basel, Switzerland. Another famous taiga aviary is located in Zoo Plzen, Czechia.

Tierpark Lange Erlen (old photo)

@aim_foliksta

Zoo Plzen

@lintworm

 

[Jurek7]

Warsaw bird house has one wing dedicated to European birds. There are outdoor and indoor aviaries. The indoor ones are especially contrastingly themed as a reedy swamp, an autumn forest, a charmingly fairytale traditional barnyard with rosy starlings and similar suburban birds plus ornamental chicken etc. The exhibits continue behind the scenes as a rescue centre for wild birds (the zoo vet and current zoo director is a specialist in wild bird medicine). The diversity of species beats Dresden, because there are many rescue birds which are one of a kind species. In fact many native birds in European zoos are descendants of Warsaw zoo rescues. Corncrakes were even reintroduced in England.

In my opinion, Warsaw exhibit is more remarkable than Dresden because of the indoor aviaries, more unusual theming, more unusual native species and a direct link with bird rescue center.

 

[lintworm]

Warsaw bird house has one wing dedicated to European birds. There are outdoor and indoor aviaries. The indoor ones are especially contrastingly themed as a reedy swamp, an autumn forest, a charmingly fairytale traditional barnyard with rosy starlings and similar suburban birds plus ornamental chicken etc. The exhibits continue behind the scenes as a rescue centre for wild birds (the zoo vet and current zoo director is a specialist in wild bird medicine). The diversity of species beats Dresden, because there are many rescue birds which are one of a kind species. In fact many native birds in European zoos are descendants of Warsaw zoo rescues. Corncrakes were even reintroduced in England.

In my opinion, Warsaw exhibit is more remarkable than Dresden because of the indoor aviaries, more unusual theming, more unusual native species and a direct link with bird rescue center.

I have to disagree with you here... I really did not like Warsaw's bird house, the collection is indeed great, but that is about it for me and collection only is not a reason to be a must-see exhibit. Many of the aviaries look tired/are outdated and many are overcrowded, often offering 0 outdoor access and little natural light as the adjacent outdoor aviaries are filled with other species. The wader aviaries have preciously little water and they weren't the only ones where I doubted how well the exhibit fitted the inhabitants... For me there is nothing of the thoughtfullness that went into designing Dresden's aviaries and landscaping is very poor in comparison. That is ignoring the shameful European scops owl aviary that I saw back in 2019 (I hope that one was torn down since). It is also good to see a zoo so involved in rehabilitating native wildlife and that is indeed a good source for captive individuals if they cannot be released. This seems to be more common in Eastern Europe anyway.

 

[Jurek7]

Hi Lintworm,
About Warsaw, I talked especially about native bird aviaries and the bird rescue, which are the separate wing of the house. The landscaping is good there. They are not too small, given that the birds are mostly small: songbirds, waders etc.

I agree that the bird house at Warsaw as a whole is not significantly better than several other large bird houses in Europe. I agree that most indoor aviaries lack outdoor spaces, some are smallish and overcrowded. Although to be fair to Warsaw the same is true for such bird houses as Frankfurt, Augsburg or Walsrode.

 

[lintworm]

About Warsaw, I talked especially about native bird aviaries and the bird rescue, which are the separate wing of the house. The landscaping is good there. They are not too small, given that the birds are mostly small: songbirds, waders etc.

I don't think we will agree here, but I never said the aviaries were too small (except the scops owl thing), just in some cases overcrowded and not well-suited. I am not a fan of the artificial landscaping either and like the more natural and more spacious outdoor aviaries Dresden offers.

On the collection: when going through zootierliste (where for both zoos holdings have been updated from a 2021 official stocklist) it is actually Dresden that has more European species on show and more zoo rarities than Warsaw has.

 

[lintworm]

69. Urwaldhaus
Koelner Zoo, Germany
Opened: 1985
Size: 5750 square metres (house 2200 square metres)
Inhabitants: Bornean orangutan, bonobo, western lowland gorilla, king colobus Weddel’s tamarin, pygmy marmoset, Javan langur

Zoo buildings rarely age well when it comes to animal husbandry. To then find a nearly 40 year old building that has aged remarkably well, while holding great apes, is a rarity. Many relatively newly built enclosures could still learn something here when it comes to designing indoor habitats for great apes. The Cologne house is a near identical copy of the original great ape house of Krefeld, which sadly burnt down in 2020. While that building badly needed a renovation, Cologne’s is still doing fine as it already has outdoor enclosures and uses glass-fronted cages instead of dry moats. It is only the bonobos that could do with extra enclosures here. This building could also be considered as one of the first immersion exhibits, as the visitor areas are densely planted with tropical vegetation. The great ape habitats have none of that naturalism though, but are crammed with structure, enrichment options and are smartly designed so that apes can avoid each other and humans. Like so many other zoos the apes here prefer to be inside rather than outside and one can’t blame them, even if their outdoor enclosures aren’t too shabby either. This long used to be the pilgrimage site for red-shanked douc langurs too, but currently rarity hunters will have to do with Europe’s only Weddel’s tamarin.

@Goura

@lintworm

@lintworm

@twilighter

@Toddy

Similar exhibits: There have been quite some similar constructions in the 80s for great apes. The ones in Zoo Hannover, Germany, and Ouwehands Dierenpark, Rhenen, the Netherlands are still very close in design, but haven't aged as well.

Zoo Hannover

@Daniel Sörensen

Ouwehands Dierenpark

@Mr Gharial

@Mr Gharial

 

[jwer]

Here’s some due responce then

The inclusion of Cleres seems to be a little bit you realizing it should have been on the 50 must-see zoo’s a little too late, and sneaking it into this list it’s another very loose interpretation of the word “exhibit”, too loose for me. I don’t doubt it’s very much worth a visit though.

Then you and your fascination for European fauna I still have a hard time gathering excitement for a cod (unfried anyways) or a Bohemian waxwing (altough the waxwing is a rather nice European bird). As a species hunter, these things just don’t get my blood going. I appreciate your efforts though, if European fauna ever needs a PR-man, I’ll give em your number

The ape houses, I’m sorry but I don’t go ape over them. It’s tough though, because if you want to show a foreigner to Europe the extensity and history of European exhibitry, they belong on the list i guess. They are an integral part of the history of ape housing. Dull imo, but integral.

But then, with Aspinalls ape housing, Ouwehands gorilla back-up mentioned, Basels concrete monstrosity already on the list and a certain Scottish ape house pending (or did I miss something?) i’m not quite sure what it adds to the list.

Then again, I haven’t made it past 60 exhibits yet. So to get to 100, perhaps some of these automatically sneak in.

Keep it going though, still reading with love!

 

[lintworm]

The inclusion of Cleres seems to be a little bit you realizing it should have been on the 50 must-see zoo’s a little too late, and sneaking it into this list it’s another very loose interpretation of the word “exhibit”, too loose for me. I don’t doubt it’s very much worth a visit though.

It isn't too loose of a definition, it is just a weird exhibit. Nobody denies that fencing in a piece of woodland and keeping squirrel monkeys in a huge walkthrough there is an exhibit. The Cleres example are just 2 adjacent walkthrough exhibits if you look at it from afar. But the setting is just quite unique, which makes conceiving it as an exhibit more difficult.

Then you and your fascination for European fauna I still have a hard time gathering excitement for a cod (unfried anyways) or a Bohemian waxwing (altough the waxwing is a rather nice European bird). As a species hunter, these things just don’t get my blood going. I appreciate your efforts though, if European fauna ever needs a PR-man, I’ll give em your number

You don't need to give them my number, they already have it. You should come to Burgers' Zoo on June 4 if you want to learn cool stuff about Dutch nature, the lecture is promising to be especially interesting , you just need to register at www.burgerszoo.nl/buurnatuur .

That said, while you could make a case for the Dresden example of it being included merely because of my love for European fauna. That isn't solely the case for Atlanterhavsparken, it is quite unique to find such a large tank that is open to the elements and just pumps in sea water by means of filtration. It also has an unusual theme for such a large tank, which makes it rather unique.

The ape houses, I’m sorry but I don’t go ape over them. It’s tough though, because if you want to show a foreigner to Europe the extensity and history of European exhibitry, they belong on the list i guess. They are an integral part of the history of ape housing. Dull imo, but integral.

But then, with Aspinalls ape housing, Ouwehands gorilla back-up mentioned, Basels concrete monstrosity already on the list and a certain Scottish ape house pending (or did I miss something?) i’m not quite sure what it adds to the list.

Ape exhibits are the most common exhibit on this list, which wasn't a conscious decision, but one that I think makes sense. There is no other hugely popular group where one can find so many examples of different eras of relatively recent zoo history, which are also still good from a welfare perspective. Add to that some impressive modern exhibits which are often very prominent in their respective zoos and there you are. To find so many completely different examples for elephants, big cats or giraffes through time is not possible.

There will be one more ape exhibit on the list, for which there are only 2 options really

 

[Philipine eagle]

69. Urwaldhaus
Koelner Zoo, Germany
Opened: 1985
Size: 5750 square metres (house 2200 square metres)
Inhabitants: Bornean orangutan, bonobo, western lowland gorilla, king colobus Weddel’s tamarin, pygmy marmoset, Javan langur

Zoo buildings rarely age well when it comes to animal husbandry. To then find a nearly 40 year old building that has aged remarkably well, while holding great apes, is a rarity. Many relatively newly built enclosures could still learn something here when it comes to designing indoor habitats for great apes. The Cologne house is a near identical copy of the original great ape house of Krefeld, which sadly burnt down in 2020. While that building badly needed a renovation, Cologne’s is still doing fine as it already has outdoor enclosures and uses glass-fronted cages instead of dry moats. It is only the bonobos that could do with extra enclosures here. This building could also be considered as one of the first immersion exhibits, as the visitor areas are densely planted with tropical vegetation. The great ape habitats have none of that naturalism though, but are crammed with structure, enrichment options and are smartly designed so that apes can avoid each other and humans. Like so many other zoos the apes here prefer to be inside rather than outside and one can’t blame them, even if their outdoor enclosures aren’t too shabby either. This long used to be the pilgrimage site for red-shanked douc langurs too, but currently rarity hunters will have to do with Europe’s only Weddel’s tamarin.

@Goura

@lintworm

@lintworm

@twilighter

@Toddy

Similar exhibits: There have been quite some similar constructions in the 80s for great apes. The ones in Zoo Hannover, Germany, and Ouwehands Dierenpark, Rhenen, the Netherlands are still very close in design, but haven't aged as well.

Zoo Hannover

@Daniel Sörensen

Ouwehands Dierenpark

@Mr Gharial

@Mr Gharial

Excellent choice. This building has lots of character and atmosphere with its winding path and lush vegetation. It's collection is far from ordinary : apart from the mentioned unique Weddel's tamarin, bonobo, javan langur nor king colobus are common in zoos.
I'm not so sure if the inner enclosures still are that good, they are lacking seperate retreat rooms (like f.e. both gorilla and chimpansee have in the Manape House at Antwerp Zoo, of which the indoors enclosures are similar in size to those in Cologne)

 

[lintworm]

70. Micropia
Natura Artis Magistra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Opened: 2014
Size: 800 square metres
Inhabitants: various microbes as well as splitfin flashlight fish and leafcutter ants

Zoo collections are notably biased towards larger animals, mostly mammals and birds. Few zoos have extensive invertebrate collections, except coral aquariums, even though these make up the vast majority of animal life. But bar Micropia no zoo exhibit puts the spotlight on what makes up the vast majority of all life on earth: microbes. In a daring mix of museum with some live displays, including displays of various living microbes, from bacteria to tardigrades, the invisible is made visible. This concept was awarded with a Kenneth Hudson Award for a daring achievement during the European Museum of the Year awards for a reason. With various smart displays this normally invisible world is explained clearly and attractively. So much of microbial life is somewhat incomprehensible to us; from the staggering numbers of living organisms on any given object or their bizarre adaptations to extreme circumstances. As a city zoo with limited space it is a smart move to focus on tardigrades and bacteria rather than rhinos. If presented well like here that can make for an impressive living museum where one cannot leave without having learned something interesting or thinking differently about life on your toothbrush.

@LaughingDove

@snowleopard

@lintworm

@Merintia

Similar exhibits: none

 

[Jurek7]

69. Urwaldhaus
Koelner Zoo, Germany

For me it is very similar design to ape houses in Basel and Chester which were described earlier.

BTW, similar exhibits include gorilla house in Beauval, if anything more spacious and gorilla-friendly.

70. Micropia
Natura Artis Magistra, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

But bacteria, protists and other single-celled organisms are officially not animals. So it is not really an animal exhibit, like several other museum-style exhibits in Artis.

 

[Fallax]

But bacteria, protists and other single-celled organisms are officially not animals. So it is not really an animal exhibit, like several other museum-style exhibits in Artis.

Those might not be animals but there is tardigrades for example, which are animals.

 

[Dassie rat]

70. Micropia
Similar exhibits: none

There was a collection of microscopic animals in the old elephant house at the Jardin de Plantes. London Zoo's 'Tiny Giants' has a few similarities to Micropia.

 

[lintworm]

For me it is very similar design to ape houses in Basel and Chester which were described earlier.

BTW, similar exhibits include gorilla house in Beauval, if anything more spacious and gorilla-friendly.

But bacteria, protists and other single-celled organisms are officially not animals. So it is not really an animal exhibit, like several other museum-style exhibits in Artis.

To be honest, I am getting a bit tired of responding to your posts again and again. I did not write up this thread for myself, but because I was interested in discussing my personal list and zoo exhibitry in general and to add value to the forum. That means that a fun exercise actually became quite a lot of work. It is not motivating at all to read and reply to your disagreement or nitpicking every single time, when you do not once acknowledge the time invested or give any real positive feedback. Interaction with other forum members has gone down somewhat since the start of the thread, which is understandable, but results in less constructive or positive feedback compared to earlier months. Writing most of these pieces is fun, but it still is time that could have been used otherwise. As other members who post lengthy contributions can probably adhere to, it is motivating to be acknowledged and have positive interactions with other forum members. If I would quit writing now, it wouldn't be the first thread here that was ended prematurely just because the writer felt he was just doing it for himself, and I would not lose a minute sleep over it.

For me it is very similar design to ape houses in Basel and Chester which were described earlier.

To get back to your first point though. The Cologne and Basel ape house come from to completely different backgrounds reflecting the 80s and 70s respectively. Basel is dominated by concrete and focuses purely on the animal, whereas Cologne is an early attempt at natural immersion by recreating a tropical atmosphere in the building. The Chester orangutan house was included because it is by far the best attempt to house what is probably the most difficult of all popular land mammals in captivity due to its social structure, intelligence and arboreal behaviour. Designwise it probably draws from both the Basel and Cologne traditions.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Interaction with other forum members has gone down somewhat since the start of the thread, which is understandable, but results in less constructive or positive feedback compared to earlier months. Writing most of these pieces is fun, but it still is time that could have been used otherwise. As other members who post lengthy contributions can probably adhere to, it is motivating to be acknowledged and have positive interactions with other forum members.

Precisely - I certainly know that (given how difficult I find marshalling the mental energy to write for prolonged periods no matter how enjoyable I find it) the significantly-reduced level of feedback or any indication people are still reading my guidebook thread has been sapping my motivation.... but I think that only getting constant nitpicking and petty criticism from certain quarters is even worse so I definitely empathise!

For what it's worth I'm enjoying this thread thoroughly.

 

[jwer]

Then again, if everyone is only agreeing, it would be rather dull.

See now Micropia is obvious and should be on this list. Doesn’t make this post very interesting

I’ll see if I can make June 4th, apparantly the reader of the day is stunningly handsome. Is there a spot where you tie your children down for an hour or so? I mean with a bowl of water available of course, don’t want to sound rude