Perfect, but which cemetery?
Semester Abroad: Pachyderm Pro Goes to Europe
- Thread starter pachyderm pro
- Start date
Arrival & First Impressions
At last, I’ve made it to the old world. Even after two full days of action it still hasn’t fully set in that I’m here and probably won’t for several more. After New Zealand I was certain any flight that followed would be a cakewalk by comparison, but my nine hour flight across the Atlantic dragged on for what felt like ages. Perhaps it’s because I unintentionally took this thing on with as few distractions as possible: no music (dead AirPods), no books, no movies, no WiFi, no sleep even (believe me I tried). A complete dopamine reset, but not something I’m itching to run back. When we landed shortly before 8:00 AM I’d never been so happy to touch solid ground.
Yesterday was spent with all of the stressful/boring logistical stuff like enrollment, paperwork, move-ins, etc. Nothing that’ll be of great interest to anyone here. The time change killed me and after being awake for roughly 32 hours straight, I was in bed by 5:00 PM… until I awoke around 10:00 PM and struggled to get back to sleep for the rest of the night. Did I mention that my unit is an absolute sauna? I expected the lack of AC to be an inconvenience, but this genuinely might be the best insulated room I’ve ever stepped foot in (much to my detriment). Also, does all of Europe insist on having the flattest, least firm pillows imaginable? Definitely a culture shock on several fronts.
Anyway, enough whining. I’m not here to live in the lap of luxury, I’m here to experience Vienna (and Europe as a whole) authentically. It’s almost a blessing in disguise that my accommodation is not the best as it’ll entice me to spend more time literally anywhere else. And that’s exactly what I did today. Whenever in a new city, I rarely have a set plan outside of captive wildlife and prefer just meandering around aimlessly until something interesting comes about. Rising with the sun, the morning began with a run through the outskirts of the city. Lovely little playgrounds for children, no shortage of coffee houses, and well integrated bike paths and public transport. The hustle and bustle atmosphere of American cities is lacking and instead this was simply a peaceful, quiet urban environment.
During the afternoon me and many of those in my cohort took the subway to the inner city. This is where all the action was and I loved it. How lucky am I that I have five months to discover each and every inch of this amazing place. We walked through alleyways and narrow streets filled with rich history where the character of Vienna began to shine through. Nothing prepared any of us however for rounding a corner which slowly revealed the breathtaking St. Stephen’s Cathedral. An architectural monolith of biblical proportions, this is the single most awe-inspiring building I’ve witnessed in person. I’ll have to come back and give it a proper look from the top. Part of the exterior is being restored and it was interesting to see a large advertisement covering up the scaffolding. Definitely odd to see on a religious site – then again I saw a billboard on the roof of an abandoned crackhouse in Kentucky last year, so anything goes I guess.
Lastly, I decided to check out the Schmetterlinghaus. Technically I could count this as my first European zoo visit, but I don’t want to (the line needs to be drawn somewhere). It’s very nice for it is, but what it is is a butterfly house and that can only hold my attention for so long. Admission is also pretty steep for what you’re getting honestly. The impressive greenhouse structure contrasts well with the dense furnishings making for a very aesthetically pleasing, instagrammable setting. This is one of those places where you go, enjoy a pleasant 15 minutes, and never need to go back — although the adjacent Palmenhaus cafe is definitely worth a lunch at some point. Something tells me tomorrow's stop will be more exciting
Don’t be sorry @oflory, this info is helpful for me as well. Photographing wild hamsters in a cemetery is always a fun response when someone asks what you’ll be doing the first week of your stay.
At last, I’ve made it to the old world. Even after two full days of action it still hasn’t fully set in that I’m here and probably won’t for several more. After New Zealand I was certain any flight that followed would be a cakewalk by comparison, but my nine hour flight across the Atlantic dragged on for what felt like ages. Perhaps it’s because I unintentionally took this thing on with as few distractions as possible: no music (dead AirPods), no books, no movies, no WiFi, no sleep even (believe me I tried). A complete dopamine reset, but not something I’m itching to run back. When we landed shortly before 8:00 AM I’d never been so happy to touch solid ground.
Yesterday was spent with all of the stressful/boring logistical stuff like enrollment, paperwork, move-ins, etc. Nothing that’ll be of great interest to anyone here. The time change killed me and after being awake for roughly 32 hours straight, I was in bed by 5:00 PM… until I awoke around 10:00 PM and struggled to get back to sleep for the rest of the night. Did I mention that my unit is an absolute sauna? I expected the lack of AC to be an inconvenience, but this genuinely might be the best insulated room I’ve ever stepped foot in (much to my detriment). Also, does all of Europe insist on having the flattest, least firm pillows imaginable? Definitely a culture shock on several fronts.
Anyway, enough whining. I’m not here to live in the lap of luxury, I’m here to experience Vienna (and Europe as a whole) authentically. It’s almost a blessing in disguise that my accommodation is not the best as it’ll entice me to spend more time literally anywhere else. And that’s exactly what I did today. Whenever in a new city, I rarely have a set plan outside of captive wildlife and prefer just meandering around aimlessly until something interesting comes about. Rising with the sun, the morning began with a run through the outskirts of the city. Lovely little playgrounds for children, no shortage of coffee houses, and well integrated bike paths and public transport. The hustle and bustle atmosphere of American cities is lacking and instead this was simply a peaceful, quiet urban environment.
During the afternoon me and many of those in my cohort took the subway to the inner city. This is where all the action was and I loved it. How lucky am I that I have five months to discover each and every inch of this amazing place. We walked through alleyways and narrow streets filled with rich history where the character of Vienna began to shine through. Nothing prepared any of us however for rounding a corner which slowly revealed the breathtaking St. Stephen’s Cathedral. An architectural monolith of biblical proportions, this is the single most awe-inspiring building I’ve witnessed in person. I’ll have to come back and give it a proper look from the top. Part of the exterior is being restored and it was interesting to see a large advertisement covering up the scaffolding. Definitely odd to see on a religious site – then again I saw a billboard on the roof of an abandoned crackhouse in Kentucky last year, so anything goes I guess.
Lastly, I decided to check out the Schmetterlinghaus. Technically I could count this as my first European zoo visit, but I don’t want to (the line needs to be drawn somewhere). It’s very nice for it is, but what it is is a butterfly house and that can only hold my attention for so long. Admission is also pretty steep for what you’re getting honestly. The impressive greenhouse structure contrasts well with the dense furnishings making for a very aesthetically pleasing, instagrammable setting. This is one of those places where you go, enjoy a pleasant 15 minutes, and never need to go back — although the adjacent Palmenhaus cafe is definitely worth a lunch at some point. Something tells me tomorrow's stop will be more exciting
Don’t be sorry @oflory, this info is helpful for me as well. Photographing wild hamsters in a cemetery is always a fun response when someone asks what you’ll be doing the first week of your stay.
Attachments
At least you got a mattress, I had a wooden slab barely covered by some softer materials which I never understood the nature of when I was in Czechia...
If St. Stephan ‘s cathedral is the most awe inspiring building you‘ve seen so far Europe has a few more surprises for you… don‘t get me wrong, Stephan‘s cathedral is great (and the old City of Vienna is absolutely fabtastic), but there is so much more historical buildings - and I‘d say even more impressive ones - to see in Europe!!
Perfect, but which cemetery?
The Zentralfriedhof is the nicer and more interesting cemetery, with a lot of historically-significant graves, but as previously noted the Meidling cemetery has higher densities of hamsters (even if it sounds like the population has dropped somewhat); if you decide to visit the latter, I recommend you just wander around the cemetery quietly from about 5pm onwards and you should get lucky fairly quickly - note that the cemetery is actually split in half by a road, and it is worth visiting both sides!
On my first visit to Vienna, I actually visited both - hitting the Zentralfriedhof in the mid afternoon, as it closes slightly earlier, and then heading towards Meidling at about 5pm.... although I had already seen hamsters on my initial arrival into the city the previous day, as I got off the train at Meidling at about 1:30pm on the off-chance given the fact I couldn't check into my hotel for an hour or so anyway!
Excellent choice. I had a late breakfast there when I visited Vienna in June. It offers a unique environment compared to the more known cafes in the city center.
Perfect, but which cemetery?
Meidling
Tiergarten Schönbrunn
It just feels so right to start my journey across the European zoo landscape at the world’s oldest existing zoo. And what a start it was. Got up bright and early after finally securing a decent night's rest and was promptly on the subway – this public transport stuff isn't so bad after all! The Shounbroun Palace grounds waited for me to pass a long awaited milestone in my zoo visiting career. I only briefly took in the brilliance of the palace and the lovely gardens before heading straight for the main event (rest assured I will be back for that other stuff down the line).
So let’s cut right to the chase – the zoo is amazing. Walking through Tiergarten Schönbrunn felt like exploring a living breathing piece of 18th century artwork. History is quite literally around every corner with buildings that have been around for centuries still standing today. But the zoo isn’t dated or lifeless as a result, in fact it’s teaming with life around every corner and visually stunning. It’s a museum of zoo history and an exemplary model of how to balance legacy features with modern animal husbandry.
And I have never seen a better preserved legacy feature than the Rotunda and the Imperial Breakfast Pavillion – and I doubt that I ever will. The surrounding enclosures for hoofstock are largely just good without being great, but provide such a great window into the past that they’re easy to love. Simple, but purposeful. Very minimal barriers as well, which allows you to get extraordinarily close to the hippos in particular, almost to an unsettling degree. The one yard that does feel like a step above the rest is the panda enclosure, which is lushly planted and filled with climbing structures. It was great to get reacquainted with the black and white blob bears after more than seven years and they are treated to the best enclosure in the rotunda, filled with dense plantings and climbing structures. When I think of pandas I think of long lines and crowds jonesing to get a photo, but here they’re viewed just like any other zoo animal. I like that.
Surrounding buildings have been adapted in different ways over the years, all of which are uniquely successful in their own right. The koala house and rat house were originally the rhino and hippo houses respectively. How pachyderms could even fit in these buildings is beyond me, but they do well by their smaller inhabitants – seeing my first cloud rats was a real treat. The giraffe house is still used for giraffes, but received a modern extension that's remarkable from an architectural standpoint. You can even still view big cats through iron bars, with the original row of cages preserved as modern exhibits were constructed behind them -- although in truth the space for the lions is still rather limited if varied. Of course I’d be remiss to not mention the old cage which has been converted into a viewing area for cheetahs which is genius. My favorite of the historic houses would have to be the monkey house, which mostly features smaller species these days and is all the better for it. The king colobus/meerkat enclosure is such a brilliant reuse of the old orang space and I found myself oddly excited about the greater guinea pigs living with the sakis and callimicos.
Speaking of primates, what's the history behind the Orangerie? This building appears much older than the gorgeous outdoor enclosure would suggest and clearly seems to have been adapted in some capacity. Feels like an event center of sorts that just so happens to have an excellent orangutan exhibit attached. There's even a library on the second floor.
The excellence continues with the bird house, yet another brilliant modernization. There are some exhibits that you just need to see in person to really get and for me that was this bird house. I’ve heard it highly praised over the years but never thought it looked like anything special from photos. Now I see the light and absolutely adore the snugly fit walkthrough rooms, each with some rather choice species. The sort of intermission room between the two with the sloths and frogs, as random as it may be, was quirky in a good way. Those two large flight cages near the bird house are also grand pieces of architecture, even if the walkthrough one does feel like wasted potential with only waldrapp ibises inside.
Just the historic portion of the zoo would make for an immensely rewarding experience in itself. However, Vienna’s excellence in exhibitry extends well beyond modernizing historic buildings. Near the east side of the zoo are several superb mixed-species enclosures that take advantage of the existing hillside. The newly opened takin/tahr exhibit is a personal favorite and coming from a land starved of caprids and macaques, the barbary sheep/macaque mix was awesomeness incarnate. I’m still not exactly sure what happened, but I think somehow a group of monkeys managed to get somewhere they were supposed to be. I heard some commotion which provoked the sheep and next thing you know keepers promptly blocked off the area to rectify the situation. Meanwhile the neighboring Andean bear watched the chaos unfold from the comfort of his tree while a group of coati scurried around below.
Small things are given the time to shine as well. The best examples are those lovely little outdoor herp “boxes” that are scattered across the grounds. Why isn't every zoo doing this? They take up minimal space and are significantly more engaging than your average reptile house. Then again, the new Conservation House with confiscated herps is filled with cool inhabitants -- no less than eight chameleon species all adjacent to one another. Grass mice have a similar outdoor terrarium located in a rather hidden offshoot from the main path by the South America house. I also loved the trio of freshwater fish tanks on the path that zigzags to the top of the zoo, which I believe are outdoors. These sort of hidden exhibits add so much depth both to the collection and experience as a whole. They're like fun surprises that are rewarding to find, other examples being those unshowy yards for did-diks and crested screamers. It may seem minor but stuff like rounding the corner of a cafe to find an aviary with a noisy flock of burrowing parakeets goes a long way.
Interestingly, while the absolute oldest enclosures around the grounds have held up wonderfully thanks to calculated modernization efforts, it’s the things that was newly constructed around the 20th century that feels the most dated. I made it just in time to see the Aquarium-Terrarium before it bites the dust in the coming months and while it was perfectly good, the replacement is definitely welcome. Not many enclosures here held my attention for long, with the exception of a terrific display with Pallas’ long-tailed bats. There may have been other species in there as well, but my gaze was solely focused on the swarm of bats flying in all directions. So cool!
The elephant house is also well past its prime and due to be replaced. Saying it’s just average is being generous at this point, with a dusty outdoor yard and highly unattractive indoor quarters all there is to show. However, an adorable two week old calf romping around like a riled up puppy compensated for the exhibit's shortcomings.
The only other significant area I hesitate to praise is the polar bear complex. The design is super cool from a guest perspective and the pair of enclosures certainly aren’t bad. However, like many polar bear exhibits in urban zoos they just aren't large or open enough. I’ve said this plenty of times before, but I believe having an open space with minimal visual barriers is equally as important as exhibit size for polar bears and here you have imposing rock walls that make the enclosures feel more, well, enclosed. You’re also looking down on the bears from most angles which isn’t ideal. Still not bad for any means, just not best suited for this specific species in my opinion. The adjacent Polarium for the Antarctic penguins screams 70s, but it still serves its purpose well enough.
I could go on to discuss the grassy multi-tiered penguin exhibit, or the stunning Tirolerhof farm section at the top of the property, or the rhino paddocks shared with various Asian ungulates, but I’ve summed things up well enough. Maybe it’s just the novelty of this being my first exposure to a European zoo, but right now I have no problem saying Schönbrunn is probably my second favorite zoo I’ve ever visited – although once the newness wears off it may get bumped down to third or fourth. There’s something special about the whole zoological park vibe that’s getting harder and harder to find these days. I love a good thematic exhibit complex as much as the next guy, but the charm of seeing various animals from across the world all near one another will never fade. Here in Vienna you can stand at a slightly elevated point near the middle of the grounds and see penguins, sea lions, elephants, and the monkey house all from the same vantage point. Originally my plan was to end each zoo report by comparing it to an American zoo that it most reminded me of, but I fear that isn't possible here. The Tiergarten is completely unlike anything in the U.S. and probably a majority of Europe as well. Where else can you play the role of emperor and sip tea while admiring a 270+ year menagerie? How lucky am I to call this my local zoo for the next several months.
It just feels so right to start my journey across the European zoo landscape at the world’s oldest existing zoo. And what a start it was. Got up bright and early after finally securing a decent night's rest and was promptly on the subway – this public transport stuff isn't so bad after all! The Shounbroun Palace grounds waited for me to pass a long awaited milestone in my zoo visiting career. I only briefly took in the brilliance of the palace and the lovely gardens before heading straight for the main event (rest assured I will be back for that other stuff down the line).
So let’s cut right to the chase – the zoo is amazing. Walking through Tiergarten Schönbrunn felt like exploring a living breathing piece of 18th century artwork. History is quite literally around every corner with buildings that have been around for centuries still standing today. But the zoo isn’t dated or lifeless as a result, in fact it’s teaming with life around every corner and visually stunning. It’s a museum of zoo history and an exemplary model of how to balance legacy features with modern animal husbandry.
And I have never seen a better preserved legacy feature than the Rotunda and the Imperial Breakfast Pavillion – and I doubt that I ever will. The surrounding enclosures for hoofstock are largely just good without being great, but provide such a great window into the past that they’re easy to love. Simple, but purposeful. Very minimal barriers as well, which allows you to get extraordinarily close to the hippos in particular, almost to an unsettling degree. The one yard that does feel like a step above the rest is the panda enclosure, which is lushly planted and filled with climbing structures. It was great to get reacquainted with the black and white blob bears after more than seven years and they are treated to the best enclosure in the rotunda, filled with dense plantings and climbing structures. When I think of pandas I think of long lines and crowds jonesing to get a photo, but here they’re viewed just like any other zoo animal. I like that.
Surrounding buildings have been adapted in different ways over the years, all of which are uniquely successful in their own right. The koala house and rat house were originally the rhino and hippo houses respectively. How pachyderms could even fit in these buildings is beyond me, but they do well by their smaller inhabitants – seeing my first cloud rats was a real treat. The giraffe house is still used for giraffes, but received a modern extension that's remarkable from an architectural standpoint. You can even still view big cats through iron bars, with the original row of cages preserved as modern exhibits were constructed behind them -- although in truth the space for the lions is still rather limited if varied. Of course I’d be remiss to not mention the old cage which has been converted into a viewing area for cheetahs which is genius. My favorite of the historic houses would have to be the monkey house, which mostly features smaller species these days and is all the better for it. The king colobus/meerkat enclosure is such a brilliant reuse of the old orang space and I found myself oddly excited about the greater guinea pigs living with the sakis and callimicos.
Speaking of primates, what's the history behind the Orangerie? This building appears much older than the gorgeous outdoor enclosure would suggest and clearly seems to have been adapted in some capacity. Feels like an event center of sorts that just so happens to have an excellent orangutan exhibit attached. There's even a library on the second floor.
The excellence continues with the bird house, yet another brilliant modernization. There are some exhibits that you just need to see in person to really get and for me that was this bird house. I’ve heard it highly praised over the years but never thought it looked like anything special from photos. Now I see the light and absolutely adore the snugly fit walkthrough rooms, each with some rather choice species. The sort of intermission room between the two with the sloths and frogs, as random as it may be, was quirky in a good way. Those two large flight cages near the bird house are also grand pieces of architecture, even if the walkthrough one does feel like wasted potential with only waldrapp ibises inside.
Just the historic portion of the zoo would make for an immensely rewarding experience in itself. However, Vienna’s excellence in exhibitry extends well beyond modernizing historic buildings. Near the east side of the zoo are several superb mixed-species enclosures that take advantage of the existing hillside. The newly opened takin/tahr exhibit is a personal favorite and coming from a land starved of caprids and macaques, the barbary sheep/macaque mix was awesomeness incarnate. I’m still not exactly sure what happened, but I think somehow a group of monkeys managed to get somewhere they were supposed to be. I heard some commotion which provoked the sheep and next thing you know keepers promptly blocked off the area to rectify the situation. Meanwhile the neighboring Andean bear watched the chaos unfold from the comfort of his tree while a group of coati scurried around below.
Small things are given the time to shine as well. The best examples are those lovely little outdoor herp “boxes” that are scattered across the grounds. Why isn't every zoo doing this? They take up minimal space and are significantly more engaging than your average reptile house. Then again, the new Conservation House with confiscated herps is filled with cool inhabitants -- no less than eight chameleon species all adjacent to one another. Grass mice have a similar outdoor terrarium located in a rather hidden offshoot from the main path by the South America house. I also loved the trio of freshwater fish tanks on the path that zigzags to the top of the zoo, which I believe are outdoors. These sort of hidden exhibits add so much depth both to the collection and experience as a whole. They're like fun surprises that are rewarding to find, other examples being those unshowy yards for did-diks and crested screamers. It may seem minor but stuff like rounding the corner of a cafe to find an aviary with a noisy flock of burrowing parakeets goes a long way.
Interestingly, while the absolute oldest enclosures around the grounds have held up wonderfully thanks to calculated modernization efforts, it’s the things that was newly constructed around the 20th century that feels the most dated. I made it just in time to see the Aquarium-Terrarium before it bites the dust in the coming months and while it was perfectly good, the replacement is definitely welcome. Not many enclosures here held my attention for long, with the exception of a terrific display with Pallas’ long-tailed bats. There may have been other species in there as well, but my gaze was solely focused on the swarm of bats flying in all directions. So cool!
The elephant house is also well past its prime and due to be replaced. Saying it’s just average is being generous at this point, with a dusty outdoor yard and highly unattractive indoor quarters all there is to show. However, an adorable two week old calf romping around like a riled up puppy compensated for the exhibit's shortcomings.
The only other significant area I hesitate to praise is the polar bear complex. The design is super cool from a guest perspective and the pair of enclosures certainly aren’t bad. However, like many polar bear exhibits in urban zoos they just aren't large or open enough. I’ve said this plenty of times before, but I believe having an open space with minimal visual barriers is equally as important as exhibit size for polar bears and here you have imposing rock walls that make the enclosures feel more, well, enclosed. You’re also looking down on the bears from most angles which isn’t ideal. Still not bad for any means, just not best suited for this specific species in my opinion. The adjacent Polarium for the Antarctic penguins screams 70s, but it still serves its purpose well enough.
I could go on to discuss the grassy multi-tiered penguin exhibit, or the stunning Tirolerhof farm section at the top of the property, or the rhino paddocks shared with various Asian ungulates, but I’ve summed things up well enough. Maybe it’s just the novelty of this being my first exposure to a European zoo, but right now I have no problem saying Schönbrunn is probably my second favorite zoo I’ve ever visited – although once the newness wears off it may get bumped down to third or fourth. There’s something special about the whole zoological park vibe that’s getting harder and harder to find these days. I love a good thematic exhibit complex as much as the next guy, but the charm of seeing various animals from across the world all near one another will never fade. Here in Vienna you can stand at a slightly elevated point near the middle of the grounds and see penguins, sea lions, elephants, and the monkey house all from the same vantage point. Originally my plan was to end each zoo report by comparing it to an American zoo that it most reminded me of, but I fear that isn't possible here. The Tiergarten is completely unlike anything in the U.S. and probably a majority of Europe as well. Where else can you play the role of emperor and sip tea while admiring a 270+ year menagerie? How lucky am I to call this my local zoo for the next several months.
In case you missed it, here is the informational signage discussing the history of the house - as you suspected, it is rather old at over 200 years old, although still a lot newer than other buildings within the grounds of the zoo
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I assume you checked out the second floor of the building as well? What did you think about the gallery about primates in human culture?
Meant to talk about this bit. Always a fan of zoo's connecting animals to human culture and at a zoo like Vienna it feels especially fitting. Lots of cool historical imagery and artifacts, although I was particularly amused by the prominent display of copies of Donkey Kong Country Returns and the Curious George movie.
As previously mentioned, I'm not aiming to do holistic reviews of each zoo. But if there's a particular exhibit or area I don't mention initially, please feel free to ask for my thoughts if you'd like.
A few notes. They tried to add bearded vultures to the Waldrapp aviary very recently, but this didn't work out.
How did you like the new "Artenschutzhaus" as a visitor, beside the rare animals?
The aquarium and terrarium house is currently indeed a very unpleasant view. They didn't put much effort there as the never ending story of the new aquarium was supposed to open in 2023.
Regarding the polar bears i understand the critic, but i can only repeat myself. It is one of the best structured polar bear exhibits at Europe with a deep pool. But certainly not perfect. In general is that area (polar bears + penguins + seals) imo the part of the zoo which really benefit from a makeover.
I guess you bought an annual pass @pachyderm pro but did you also ordered a zoocard?
How did you like the new "Artenschutzhaus" as a visitor, beside the rare animals?
The aquarium and terrarium house is currently indeed a very unpleasant view. They didn't put much effort there as the never ending story of the new aquarium was supposed to open in 2023.
Regarding the polar bears i understand the critic, but i can only repeat myself. It is one of the best structured polar bear exhibits at Europe with a deep pool. But certainly not perfect. In general is that area (polar bears + penguins + seals) imo the part of the zoo which really benefit from a makeover.
I guess you bought an annual pass @pachyderm pro but did you also ordered a zoocard?
Great review. I can tell I am going to love reading this thread these next few months.
The polar bear exhibit reminds me in many ways of the exhibit at the Lincoln Park Zoo. They are both modern, building on our current understanding of how polar bears live with a focus on sloped-land areas. At the same time I can't help but find that exhibit too small on my visits and short-sighted for an animal that deserves more.
The polar bear exhibit reminds me in many ways of the exhibit at the Lincoln Park Zoo. They are both modern, building on our current understanding of how polar bears live with a focus on sloped-land areas. At the same time I can't help but find that exhibit too small on my visits and short-sighted for an animal that deserves more.
Nice read and great photos @pachyderm pro ! Nothing can compare with entering a World Class Zoo for a first time! Especially if this zoo is called Schönbrunn. Thank you for sharing the excitement!
Is your number one San Diego or ?
Is your number one San Diego or ?
If you go to the Schonbrunn palace's front in winter the Christmas shops serve an array of nice bevarages and food, I tried a hot Italian Pesto boiled potato, surpsrisingly very good! and a "hunter's tea", it was tea mixed with some sort of strong rum, really gives you the warmth needed for the Austrian winter!
Do not miss the palace, it is enchanting truly, despite not having visited its entirety I felt it as spectacular.
Also have you visited the Wustenhaus and Palmhaus just in front of the Rotunda's exit?
Do not miss the palace, it is enchanting truly, despite not having visited its entirety I felt it as spectacular.
Also have you visited the Wustenhaus and Palmhaus just in front of the Rotunda's exit?
I liked it a lot and believe it's something that other zoos should be replicating. My only critisim is the same criticism I have of many herp houses, that being the tendency for it to be somewhat repetitive. Seeing eight chameleon species and six different geckos all one after another is cool, but I imagine it doesn't hold the average visitors attention for terribly long.
@nczoofan took the words out of my mouth. Lincoln Park's polar bear complex came to mind immediately as another city zoo that compensates for limited space with thoughtful sloped landscaping, but polar bears are one of those species that need raw space above all else. Once again I agree Vienna's exhibit is excellently designed, but grizzlies would probably be better suited to it.
I did not, but looking at the benefits it's something to consider in the future. Thanks for pointing it out.
Indeed. I'd be surprised it gets dethroned during this trip, but there are a few contenders.
Yes I did. Structurally they were highly impressive, although neither left me with much to say. Seeing round-eared elephant shrews was pretty cool though.
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Probably the biggest issue for the average visitor is the kind of "boring" design, although it does resemble the things, that they want pretty good. It is definitely a house that is polarized by the more frequent visitors as far is i know.
What i wanted to add at my previous post but forgot about is, that i highly recommend to search for all the signs of the "historical path" that was shown by @TeaLovingDave at a future visit. I belive there is even an overview where they are located somewhere near the main entrance.
Haus Des Meeres
What a truly bizarre place this is, and I mean that as a term of endearment. There is often discussion about the homogenization of zoos in recent years, but finding truly unique aquariums is an even taller order. Yet within this former WWII flak tower lies a facility that manages to work even when it shouldn't. There are eleven floors worth of displays spread across this tower including several outdoor exhibits located many stories up. There are literally aviaries protruding out of the building and it’s all a pretty surreal sight upon first glance.
The actual aquatic elements here didn't really grab me however. Mostly it consisted of just typical aquarium displays without any eye-catching species of note. There were several larger tanks that impressed such as the tall reef tank with split-level viewing, the cylindrical tank that nearly stretched the length of the room, and an open-topped mangrove display. Of course there’s the classic walk-through tunnel every aquarium is seemingly mandated to have in 2025, but this one felt oddly small and restricted by the design of the entryway. Only the open-topped tank filled with a bunch of sterlets being prepared for release held my attention, which was great. Everything else was good, but rarely left me lingering for more than a moment.
Where I did linger however was the pair of tropical halls both accessible on the third floor. The first is the crocodile park, featuring a slender-snouted croc resting below while cotton-top tamarins and various birds scurried above. Another one of those displays I can only describe properly with the word; awesome! Even better was the tropical hall with white-faced sakis, callimicos and Spix’s saddle-backed tamarins – the latter of which can only be found in a half-dozen European collections and none in the states. The monkeys had no reservations about coming right up to visitors and it was thrilling to get inches away from all of them. It may seem like no big deal to your average European zoo nerd, but I’m pretty sure this was my first time in a real primate walkthrough. Hopefully the first of many.
Near the very top of the building is a floor centered around island ecosystems. Never thought I’d see a multi-leveled komodo dragon exhibit, but the big guy was making good use of his ramp connecting both floors. A mixed-species Madagascar display is nearby, connected to an outdoor enclosure is quite literally a balcony giving these lemurs a better view of the city than most residents. It’s a truly impressive display and black lemurs were awesome to see, but I was bummed to learn that the last narrow-striped mongoose had died not too long ago as that was perhaps my most anticipated species here. There’s also an Australia hall wrapped around the building's perimeter with an assortment of parrots and parakeets, as well as woylie apparently, but the odds of seeing them must be slim to none.
This place really felt like a maze to navigate at times. It seems straightforward enough to simply go from the bottom to the top, but you really have to go out of your way to find certain exhibits. For example, I noticed a series of terrariums in the same room as the crocodile hall, except you couldn't reach them from the main boardwalk. I had to find the correct stairwell elsewhere, go through the correct door to reach a dead-end path with the terrariums (one featuring a brilliant new species for me in the form of namaqua chameleon). Maybe this kind of set-up isn’t for everyone, but I personally loved the small challenge of having to figure out how to reach certain areas. It’s like playing a video game where you’re trying to reach a secret room to earn special collectables.
Dallas World Aquarium comes to mind as the natural U.S. comparison; another quirky collection within a vertical building, where the actual aquarium aspects are overshadowed by rainforest walkthroughs. However, unlike the DWA which crams in way more species than it can comfortably handle, HDM recognizes its limitations and strikes a perfect balance between fitting in a number of interesting species beyond just fish while not overwhelming its resources. In fact, all of the herp terrariums across each floor were quite spacious even for smaller species. With multiple small-to-medium sized monkeys, lemurs, komodo dragon, and a large croc, there’s plenty worth going out of your way for even if you’re not a fish enthusiast. Slowly ascending the Vienna skyline, which continuously appears in the background of the larger halls, makes a visit even more worthwhile.
What a truly bizarre place this is, and I mean that as a term of endearment. There is often discussion about the homogenization of zoos in recent years, but finding truly unique aquariums is an even taller order. Yet within this former WWII flak tower lies a facility that manages to work even when it shouldn't. There are eleven floors worth of displays spread across this tower including several outdoor exhibits located many stories up. There are literally aviaries protruding out of the building and it’s all a pretty surreal sight upon first glance.
The actual aquatic elements here didn't really grab me however. Mostly it consisted of just typical aquarium displays without any eye-catching species of note. There were several larger tanks that impressed such as the tall reef tank with split-level viewing, the cylindrical tank that nearly stretched the length of the room, and an open-topped mangrove display. Of course there’s the classic walk-through tunnel every aquarium is seemingly mandated to have in 2025, but this one felt oddly small and restricted by the design of the entryway. Only the open-topped tank filled with a bunch of sterlets being prepared for release held my attention, which was great. Everything else was good, but rarely left me lingering for more than a moment.
Where I did linger however was the pair of tropical halls both accessible on the third floor. The first is the crocodile park, featuring a slender-snouted croc resting below while cotton-top tamarins and various birds scurried above. Another one of those displays I can only describe properly with the word; awesome! Even better was the tropical hall with white-faced sakis, callimicos and Spix’s saddle-backed tamarins – the latter of which can only be found in a half-dozen European collections and none in the states. The monkeys had no reservations about coming right up to visitors and it was thrilling to get inches away from all of them. It may seem like no big deal to your average European zoo nerd, but I’m pretty sure this was my first time in a real primate walkthrough. Hopefully the first of many.
Near the very top of the building is a floor centered around island ecosystems. Never thought I’d see a multi-leveled komodo dragon exhibit, but the big guy was making good use of his ramp connecting both floors. A mixed-species Madagascar display is nearby, connected to an outdoor enclosure is quite literally a balcony giving these lemurs a better view of the city than most residents. It’s a truly impressive display and black lemurs were awesome to see, but I was bummed to learn that the last narrow-striped mongoose had died not too long ago as that was perhaps my most anticipated species here. There’s also an Australia hall wrapped around the building's perimeter with an assortment of parrots and parakeets, as well as woylie apparently, but the odds of seeing them must be slim to none.
This place really felt like a maze to navigate at times. It seems straightforward enough to simply go from the bottom to the top, but you really have to go out of your way to find certain exhibits. For example, I noticed a series of terrariums in the same room as the crocodile hall, except you couldn't reach them from the main boardwalk. I had to find the correct stairwell elsewhere, go through the correct door to reach a dead-end path with the terrariums (one featuring a brilliant new species for me in the form of namaqua chameleon). Maybe this kind of set-up isn’t for everyone, but I personally loved the small challenge of having to figure out how to reach certain areas. It’s like playing a video game where you’re trying to reach a secret room to earn special collectables.
Dallas World Aquarium comes to mind as the natural U.S. comparison; another quirky collection within a vertical building, where the actual aquarium aspects are overshadowed by rainforest walkthroughs. However, unlike the DWA which crams in way more species than it can comfortably handle, HDM recognizes its limitations and strikes a perfect balance between fitting in a number of interesting species beyond just fish while not overwhelming its resources. In fact, all of the herp terrariums across each floor were quite spacious even for smaller species. With multiple small-to-medium sized monkeys, lemurs, komodo dragon, and a large croc, there’s plenty worth going out of your way for even if you’re not a fish enthusiast. Slowly ascending the Vienna skyline, which continuously appears in the background of the larger halls, makes a visit even more worthwhile.
I'm glad you liked HdM and i totally agree with the conclusion.
The woylies are actually quite easy to see, if you visit at the evening, especially at the winter months (the zoo is open until 20:00 the whole year). Same goes for the Galagos, since the light at the Congo area is turned off at about 19:00.
The woylies are actually quite easy to see, if you visit at the evening, especially at the winter months (the zoo is open until 20:00 the whole year). Same goes for the Galagos, since the light at the Congo area is turned off at about 19:00.