Looks like a Roman colosseum. I wouldn't be surprised if a gladiator ran out from those doors to take on one of the elephants for sport.
In all seriousness, this does look like a very spacious elephant house. This whole Asian area is really bizarre to me though, totally unlike anything I've seen before. The tall unprotected trees in the elephant paddocks, the huge water moats surrounding the orangutan islands, the concrete walls surrounding several exhibits, etc. Every exhibit looks very good for the animals and the species list seems really impressive, but the aesthetics of it all are really bizarre to me. How much did this whole complex cost exactly?
@pachyderm pro This is the biggest Elephant House on the continent and definitely provide space. The place is missing final touches, but hopefully they will be fixed soon. Initially project was with glass viewing panels and wooden paths around the outdoor exhibits, with very limited concrete walls. I believe that Covid and cost cut reasons lead to the decision to use so much concrete. In the Sheridan's new book the quoted price for the whole project was around 90 million euros ( need to double check), but the numbers in the Polish news are 262 million PLZ or 58 million Euro. Maybe @snowleopard has more precise information?
I wonder if Lodz Zoo now has the largest indoor elephant exhibit in Europe. It's difficult to tell without someone compiling a comprehensive list of square footage, but other contenders would be Zurich, Cologne and maybe Emmen.
According to Sheridan's book the whole investment includes the new Zoo Entrance, Conference Center, Zoo School, Visitor center, Shop and Zoo offices and cost around 90 million euro.
