Europe's 100 must see exhibits

lintworm · 17 Jun 2022

snowleopard said:
After spending a depressing amount of time researching two brand-new American zoos that are absolutely ghastly, it is always a joy to return to this excellent thread. Roer's Safari (Nebraska) and Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve (Texas) are both new, diabolical U.S. zoos that have horrendous exhibits. Contrasting those with the latest selections on this future "thread of the year" is interesting.

I was not really a fan of Hannover Zoo, with its over-the-top theming that is not for all tastes. However, Yukon Bay is fabulous and a real treat to see in person. The polar bear exhibits built into the hillside are naturalistic, even with the human-made elements incorporated into the foreground. The pinniped pool, with its wave machine and crashing water, is superb. Yukon Bay is the shining light of Hannover, an otherwise disappointing zoo in my opinion. Give me ZOOM Gelsenkirchen any day of the week.

Then there's the latest choice, which focuses on not only Antwerp but also Amsterdam and Frankfurt as well. Those illustrious zoos have their magnificent sections and are packed with rich history. Famous old buildings are at all three locations, with plenty of statues, plaques and terrific animal collections in modern exhibits that in many cases maintain a touch of historical class. Best of all, it's only a 4 hour driving radius between any of those zoos, which isn't a long way to go in terms of a Canadian zoo nerd's grasp of distance. To hop in a car and travel 4 hours to a world-class zoo is a joy, not an arduous trek!

This thread is turning into Europe's top 200 or 300 exhibits, as there are sometimes multiple other exhibits mentioned in each post. That's a good thing, because the quality and animal husbandry evident at hundreds of European zoos is something to be lauded and appreciated. That continent would never have a Roer's Safari open up its gates in the modern era...it would be unthinkable.

Unfortunately such bad zoos can even open up in Europe. Tierpark Donnersberg in Rockenhausen, Germany was opened just a few years ago on a former parking lot. That is just as bad as it sounds, but that didn't stop some major zoos (Berlin...) from sending animals there. Also quite bad is Dvorex Zoo in Czechia, a relatively new establishment with a lot of cobra, but with bad enclosures everywhere... So it happens and especially in southern and eastern Europe there is still some old junk to be found, but fortunately the roadside zoo culture is almost absent here.

HOMIN96 · 17 Jun 2022

lintworm said:
Also quite bad is Dvorex Zoo in Czechia, a relatively new establishment

It probably depends a lot on personal definition but I really wouldn't be calling Dvorec "relatively new"

Both in terms of its actual age and also in regards to the plethora of other private zoo institutions opened after Dvorec.

Dassie rat · 17 Jun 2022

It's a shame about Tierpark Donnersberg. It has quite an interesting collection, including being 1 of only 3 ZTL collections with lesser bamboo rats, marsh mongooses, common rock squirrels and two-spotted palm civets.

aardvark250 · 17 Jun 2022

Hemsley open in 2015 and it's.......

TeaLovingDave · 17 Jun 2022

HOMIN96 said:
I really wouldn't be calling Dvorec "relatively new"

It's older than quite a few zoochatters

Dassie rat said:
. It has quite an interesting collection, including being 1 of only 3 ZTL collections with lesser bamboo rats, marsh mongooses, common rock squirrels and two-spotted palm civets.

Unusually for the collection in question it *actually* has those species, as opposed to the whole raft of species they have falsely claimed to hold both past and present!

xmoose · 18 Jun 2022

lintworm said:
Also quite bad is Dvorex Zoo in Czechia, a relatively new establishment with a lot of cobra, but with bad enclosures everywhere... So it happens and especially in southern and eastern Europe there is still some old junk to be found, but fortunately the roadside zoo culture is almost absent here.

Well, I´ve impression, that there were some new "petting" and other private "zoos" of dubious quality opened in last few years, at least in czech republic, so lets hope it isn´t some new trend which just simply didn´t get there in full strength yet...
Also, "glad" that my opinion about Dvorec, based just on some pictures, wasn´t wrong

lintworm · 18 Jun 2022

95. Sitatunga enclosure
Zoo Odense, Denmark
Opened: ? (educated guess would be 2011)
Size: 1.2 hectares
Inhabitants: Western sitatunga

Most antelope exhibits are simple grassy or sandy affairs with some trees. While often spacious and in cases attractive to look at, they often have only little resemblance to the natural habitat of the antelope in question. The main reason why so many species of ungulate exist all over Africa and Asia is that they have adapted to a dizzying range of habitats from deserts to montane forests, aka not lawns. One of the more extreme adaptations is that of the Sitatunga, a species specialised to live in marshes and reedbeds. Seeing such animals on a lawn teaches you nothing of the ecology of this species. Odense however offers a stunning replica of the natural sitatunga habitat and in this way it could easily convert a zoo area that is difficult to develop into a fantastic exhibit. At over 1 hectares it might appear oversized, but I am sure the sitatunga do not care. Apart from several viewpoints, a boardwalk passing through a section of the enclosure brings visitors closer to the animals. Having recently visited Saiwa Swamp in Kenya, a small national park with one of the last remaining sitatunga populations in Kenya, I can say that Odense comes extremely close to the real thing and in Odense one actually has a chance to see sitatunga if you arrive after 8 am, which is always a bonus.

@FunkyGibbon

@LiSom

@FunkyGibbon

Additionally this whole enclosure can be explored on google streetview

Similar exhibits: Exmoor Zoo, Bratton Fleming, UK is also home to a stunning sitatunga enclosure, which is also partly marshy but not as near to the real thing as Odense.

@twilighter

@gulogulogulo

Dassie rat · 18 Jun 2022

According to ZTL, Dvorec Zoo is 1 of 5 ZTL collections with Sumatran spitting, Indonesian and Chinese cobras,
1 of 4 with Mozambique spitting and Peters' cobras
1 of 3 with Nubian spitting cobras
1 of 2 ZTL with Achieta's, Philippine and Central Asian cobras and the only one with Ashe's spitting cobras

A nice collection of cobras, but a pity if the accommodation for the animals is poor

Rayane · 18 Jun 2022

Dassie rat said:
According to ZTL, Dvorec Zoo is 1 of 5 ZTL collections with Sumatran spitting, Indonesian and Chinese cobras,
1 of 4 with Mozambique spitting and Peters' cobras
1 of 3 with Nubian spitting cobras
1 of 2 ZTL with Achieta's, Philippine and Central Asian cobras and the only one with Ashe's spitting cobras

A nice collection of cobras, but a pity if the accommodation for the animals is poor

I believe it's the largest public Elapids collection in Europe. The exhibits for the cobras look like what you can see at privates, it's definitely not attractive and it could be better but I believe it's quite standard unfortunately. Snakes really get the short end of the stick in captivity, many are bred in drawers.

Dassie rat · 18 Jun 2022

There's a pet shop where snakes are kept in small plastic containers that resemble food containers

Zoo2022 · 18 Jun 2022

Rayane said:
Snakes really get the short end of the stick in captivity, many are bred in drawers.

Yes - from what we are told this certainly happens in the UK, where privately there appears little or no control at all. All snake enclosures in UK zoos must legally be at least as long as the snake. I know this is certainly not the case in other countries such as the USA. It is also a legal requirement in the UK for all zoos keeping venomous spp to hold supplies of anti-venom. This is often hugely expensive and has a short shelf-life. This make keeping venomous spp impossibly expensive, which is why so few are seen in the UK. Again private keepers are not required to do this.

lintworm · 19 Jun 2022

96. Oceanium
Diergaarde Blijdorp, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Opened: 2001
Size: 1.2 hectares
Inhabitants: Atlantic puffin, Californian sea lion, king penguin, sandbar shark, ring-tailed lemur and a whole range of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates from around the world

Having a good concept can make all the difference in a zoo exhibit and when one is lacking it shows. Originally the Oceanium was designed as a journey from the North sea to the Californian coast, introducing the visitors to the continental lay-out of the zoo as it was the first exhibit after the new entrance and the American zone starts right after. Now that the Caribbean reef is Indo-Pacific, ring-tailed lemurs were added randomly and part of the building was repurposed from Mexican desert to endangered species breeding centre, all cohesion is lost and storytelling much more difficult. What remains is still largely a solid aquarium with extras, in terms of litres also the 3rd largest to be located within a zoo. The sea bird aviary at the entrance is a success and impressive with its breeding groups of black-legged kittiwakes, Atlantic puffin and common guillemots. The tunnel through the 3.3 million litre Atlantic tank is also still a crowd-pleaser with the large sharks and sea turtles, as is the spacious Falklands enclosure with breeding groups of king penguin and gentoo penguin. But after 20 years this building has not aged as well as some of its competitors and the lack of finishing touches is becoming more apparent now. For the regular visitor this colossal building is still impressive, but it is now “just” a random assortment of average to good enclosures, without any cohesive story to tell. For the zoo nerd the species line-up is still exciting though and who doesn’t love sailfin sculpins

. Only 10 years ago this building would have been a sure fit in any must-see exhibit list, but it has seriously deteriorated since then, although overall the level is still high.

@Mr. Gharial

@Tiger

@twilighter

@Orycteropus

@snowleopard

Similar exhibits: the Tropen-Aquarium in Tierpark Hagenbeck, Hamburg, Germany, is another big aquarium/tropical hall that seems to be lacking any coherence, it has some impressive exhibits, but is also hit-and-miss.

@Daniel Sörensen

@FunkyGibbon

jwer · 19 Jun 2022

So many things irk me about Blijdorp, that I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know why, I guess that a for a zoo with so many possibilities, I always feel they should have done better (with a few exceptions along the way).

There’s no place better in the zoo where this all culminates than at the Oceanarium.

- The sea-bird shore is plagued by dirty/splattered glass, making it way too hard to see the birds properly.
- the very nice jellyfish tanks were only inhabited by one species the last time I was there
- the large tank / tunnel is (for my taste) badly landscaped
- the only reeftank contains so much fake coral, I felt like I was watching a plastic toys commercial
- the kelp tank contains fake kelp (I am correct on that one right? It looked very plastic to me)
- the empty sea-otter exhibits just finishes me right off at the end. Always a disappointment to see nothing constructive can be done with it.

To finish things off, the story was completely killed. So what remains is a big building, with many a decent exhibit, but nothing more. There’s few things that stand out, or hasn’t been done better elsewhere. So the only thing that remains is former glory or “the name”. But if you want to see a former glory, legendary building then go and see the Grzimek House. Far worse exhibits, but with a palpable history.

I couldn’t bare placing it on my list. But if you like big buildings, aren’t hampered by the glory it once had and just go in blank, you will enjoy it nonetheless. So if I say “go see and make your own mind up”, I’m still validating it to be on this list.

Oh well

CGSwans · 19 Jun 2022

Being unburdened with fond memories of what Rotterdam once was, to me it’s a good enough all rounder of a zoo that I’m pleased to see it make an appearance on the list. It leaves Munich and Plzen as the truly significant zoos on the continent without a representative.

Dassie rat · 19 Jun 2022

My best visit to Blijdorp was my first one in 1982. The Riviera Hall had an interesting mix of exhibits, including cock-of-the rock, rockfowl, umbrellabird and nautilus. I also liked the monkey and nocturnal house.

lintworm · 19 Jun 2022

jwer said:
So many things irk me about Blijdorp, that I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know why, I guess that a for a zoo with so many possibilities, I always feel they should have done better (with a few exceptions along the way).

There’s no place better in the zoo where this all culminates than at the Oceanarium.

- The sea-bird shore is plagued by dirty/splattered glass, making it way too hard to see the birds properly.
- the very nice jellyfish tanks were only inhabited by one species the last time I was there
- the large tank / tunnel is (for my taste) badly landscaped
- the only reeftank contains so much fake coral, I felt like I was watching a plastic toys commercial
- the kelp tank contains fake kelp (I am correct on that one right? It looked very plastic to me)
- the empty sea-otter exhibits just finishes me right off at the end. Always a disappointment to see nothing constructive can be done with it.

To finish things off, the story was completely killed. So what remains is a big building, with many a decent exhibit, but nothing more. There’s few things that stand out, or hasn’t been done better elsewhere. So the only thing that remains is former glory or “the name”. But if you want to see a former glory, legendary building then go and see the Grzimek House. Far worse exhibits, but with a palpable history.

I couldn’t bare placing it on my list. But if you like big buildings, aren’t hampered by the glory it once had and just go in blank, you will enjoy it nonetheless. So if I say “go see and make your own mind up”, I’m still validating it to be on this list.

Oh well

I guess the current Oceanium suffers from two comparisons, both are understandable but maybe not completely fair to what the Oceanium still is. The first is with its former self, as does the whole of Diergaarde Blijdorp. The first decade of the 21st century it was easily a top 10 European zoo, but it is not what it once was, that doesn't make it a bad zoo though, as basically every first time visitor I spoke in recent years (including many members of this site) still joyed "what is left" tremendously. What is gone are the days debating whether Diergaarde Blijdorp or Burgers' Zoo is the best zoo in the country, for now that question is settled...

The second comparison it suffers from is its contemporary cousin in Arnhem, Burgers' Ocean. That aquarium is the pinnacle in landscaping and finishing touches in the aquarium world, so most aquariums looks "unfinished" by comparison.

In fairness I share your criticism on Diergaarde Blijdorp, as demonstrated before on this site

. Oceanium was also one of the last exhibits to make the cut, but given its allround strength I couldn't leave it of, also given the love it still gets from so many people. It might not be my cup of tea either, but that doesn't make it less impressive for others.

If you moan about landscaping in Oceanium, you better not visit the Afrykarium in Wroclaw, which has even more obvious issues (ignoring the hippo exhibit). The next exhibit on the list is another major exhibit that has some even more major flaws, but so much to make up for it that I could not leave it out either.

lintworm · 20 Jun 2022

97. Eismeer
Tierpark Hagenbeck, Hamburg, Germany
Opened: 2012
Size: 4800 square metres
Inhabitants: Walrus, polar bear, king penguin, Humboldt’s penguin, S-American fur seal, Atlantic puffin and various other bird species

When an important historical exhibit is so outdated and badly in need of renovation, sometimes it is best to start over. Based on the horrific state of the construction of the original Nordic panorama, a completely new polar complex was constructed. Unfortunately it is not without flaws, for the sake of having a panoramic view of walrus and polar bears together, a bear enclosure is crammed in, with an awkward shape and far too little space. Additionally the sea bird aviary for puffins, guillemots and Arctic ducks wasn't predator proof for quite some time, nor resistant to high temperatures, leading to high losses. That is not something one would expect from a must-see exhibit, but parts of this exhibit are truly great. The trio of pinniped enclosures for fur seals and walrus, as well as both penguin exhibits are very pretty. In total the Eismeer holds over 5 million litres of water and the underwater viewing is some of the best the continent has to offer. Seeing fur seals and walrus underwater is always a treat, but here it can be truly spectacular with clear water and large viewing panels. The main walrus pool is not huge in terms of area, but it is deep and well-structured. The Antarctic penguin enclosure is a spacious walk-in fridge where the gentoo penguins come extremely close to the visitors. Being in the same room as the penguins is a wholly different experience compared to seeing them behind glass. Additionally the original Hagenbeck tradition of the smart use of sightlines and landscaping was upheld here too. So while certainly not perfect, it is the best a modern Hagenbeck has to offer and that can still be impressive.

@RonBurrgundy

@lintworm

@snowleopard

Similar exhibits: The land of the cold in Pairi Daiza, Cambron-Casteau, Belgium, seems inspired by the Eismeer. With a walk-in penguin fridge and polar bears and walruses next to each other. While the underwater viewing is impressive here too, the land parts of both bear and walrus are smallish and partly very ugly. Overall this seems more a vehicle for more hotel rooms than a serious zoo exhibit, impressive as it looks in places.

@Tiger

@RonBurrgundy

@KevinB

@Jogy

aardvark250 · 20 Jun 2022

lintworm said:
97. Eismeer
Tierpark Hagenbeck, Hamburg, Germany
Opened: 2012
Size: 4800 square metres
Inhabitants: Walrus, polar bear, king penguin, Humboldt’s penguin, S-American fur seal, Atlantic puffin and various other bird species

When an important historical exhibit is so outdated and badly in need of renovation, sometimes it is best to start over. Based on the horrific state of the construction of the original Nordic panorama, a completely new polar complex was constructed. Unfortunately it is not without flaws, for the sake of having a panoramic view of walrus and polar bears together, a bear enclosure is crammed in, with an awkward shape and far too little space. Additionally the sea bird aviary for puffins, guillemots and Arctic ducks wasn't predator proof for quite some time, nor resistant to high temperatures, leading to high losses. That is not something one would expect from a must-see exhibit, but parts of this exhibit are truly great. The trio of pinniped enclosures for fur seals and walrus, as well as both penguin exhibits are very pretty. In total the Eismeer holds over 5 million litres of water and the underwater viewing is some of the best the continent has to offer. Seeing fur seals and walrus underwater is always a treat, but here it can be truly spectacular with clear water and large viewing panels. The main walrus pool is not huge in terms of area, but it is deep and well-structured. The Antarctic penguin enclosure is a spacious walk-in fridge where the gentoo penguins come extremely close to the visitors. Being in the same room as the penguins is a wholly different experience compared to seeing them behind glass. Additionally the original Hagenbeck tradition of the smart use of sightlines and landscaping was upheld here too. So while certainly not perfect, it is the best a modern Hagenbeck has to offer and that can still be impressive.

@RonBurrgundy

@lintworm

@lintworm

@lintworm

@snowleopard

Similar exhibits: The land of the cold in Pairi Daiza, Cambron-Casteau, Belgium, seems inspired by the Eismeer. With a walk-in penguin fridge and polar bears and walruses next to each other. While the underwater viewing is impressive here too, the land parts of both bear and walrus are smallish and partly very ugly. Overall this seems more a vehicle for more hotel rooms than a serious zoo exhibit, impressive as it looks in places.

@Tiger

@RonBurrgundy

@KevinB

@Jogy

It doesn't feel like this was built in 2012 but rather much older. But hey, it's Hagenbeck so i'll allow it.

Philipine eagle · 20 Jun 2022

I'm a little suprised by your Oceanium choice

Not because I do not like it, on the contrary :
It is varied in terms of species, there is something going on behind every corner, it is actually a zoo within a zoo, something that certainly piques my interest.

But on the other hand, it is not really something special: the architecture is mainly functional, the decoration is certainly better than average but not really spectacular in the year 2022 (you have correctly made the indeed somewhat unfair comparison with Burgers' Ocean), the number of really interesting species has dropped, the storytelling 'from North Sea to California' has fallen apart, they demolished the best exhibit (The Sea of Cortez), etc.

In fact, it is just a rather good loop of connected stays.

Rotterdam has to be careful not to let it deteriorate in both species and setting.

lintworm · 21 Jun 2022

98. Bird house
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria
Opened: 1998 (original building from 1752)
Size: 560 square metres
Inhabitants: A wide variety of smaller S-American and African bird species, two-toed sloths and some amphibians.

The small bird house in Vienna would be easy to overlook, as the outside doesn’t reveal much of the brilliant little exhibit inside. This building has long been used to house small bird species, but it has now been transformed from cage dominated to a landscape approach. The two main rooms are now walkthroughs, each with a newly attached small greenhouse, highlighting two biomes: the African savannah and the South American rainforest. The middle section is still old-school and has two amphibian enclosures and sloths above. While the choice of biome might be somewhat standard, the landscaping and species selection is anything but. With an effective combination of copious vegetation and some rockwork two attractive enclosures have been created that let the birds shine. With white-fronted bee-eater and white-fronted amazon as the largest birds in the house, most attention goes to attractive small passerine species, a group often overlooked in zoos. From bananaquit and grey-headed oliveback to a breeding group of blue-backed manakins there are small birds everywhere. It does take some time to locate all species, as there is plenty of privacy, but not so much finding birds is too hard. Transforming 270 year old buildings into attractive exhibits that do not seem to age is the main strength of Tiergarten Schönbrunn, but this building really is a gem even by Viennese standards.

@Arizona Docent

@lintworm

@lintworm

Similar exhibits: Many city zoos have transformed their old bird houses into walkthroughs or at least into the modern age, but none have been as successful as in Vienna. The renovated monkey and bird house in Artis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a good attempt, but is not as lovely. Other interesting renovations have recently been performed in Zoo Antwerp, Belgium, Zoo Wroclaw, Poland and somewhat earlier in ZSL London, UK, though not all equally successful. The renovated bird house that will reopen next year in Zoo Basel, Switzerland holds a lot of promise in its design, but we will have to wait a little bit to see whether that promise is fulfilled.

Artis