Svět plazů - Hradec Kralove

[Jana]

A small private reptile zoo is under construction and should open in spring or summer 2025.

Located inside old farm house (formerly a mini golf areal) on outskirts of town Hradec Králové. Map suggests it could´ve space for some outdoor enclosures too.

It plans with snakes (including venomous), turtles, iguanas, various other herps, amphibians and insects.

Lets see if it really opens and with what roster. Reptile zoos are rare occurence around here. It seems this bussines model doesnt generate enough footfall (=income) to stay afloat in most cases.

Pre-construction view of the site

 

[Jana]

This collection will open on 1th of July 2025.

FB

 

[Jana]

The reptile zoo opened indeed on 1st of July. And first reviews can be found online.

The HP promises over 90 tanks with various species. The exhibit space (600 m2) is built on second floor of the former water mill and that means it´s not accessible to people who can´t climb some stairs. First floor has a nice small caffe room offering cakes and other food. Parking is free. So far, it has no outside animal exhibits. Also a section with chameleons, turtles, caimans, scorpions and tarantulas could not be opened yet because works run slightly behind schedule so this will get added in near future.

Most tanks have nicely modeled backrounds, dead wood etc, with desert / dry theme but they are so similar that it gets repetitive fast. Few tanks are too small for its inhabitants but not worse than for example Prague reptile room in former elephant house. Species labels are in Czech, Latin, English and German.

What is on show are mostly snakes (ca 60 species) - it includes black and green mambas, taipan, gaboon vipers, several crotalus, cobras, atheris, cerastes, lachesis, puff adder, trimerisurus, anacondas, boas, pythons etc. Around 20 species of other reptiles like varanus, heloderma, agamas, teju, green iguana etc. All in all it doesnt contain big rarities but also it´s not all corn snake&co either. Notable species are Chinese moccasin (Deinagkistrodon acutus), Julio's casquehead iguana (Laemanctus julioi), Eastern giant green lizard (Lacerta media), Wagler's temple pitviper (Trimeresurus wagleri). Maybe a "Brazilian lancehead" (Bothrops moojeni?) - unsure about the last one, might be my mistranslation and thus other bothrops species.
source

 

[Jana]

Further update. The section with tarantulas and scorpions is open. Ca 17 new species of them are on show.

Tentative plans exist to use cellar room under the building to build a tank for saltwater crocodiles. Might come in 2026. Some of the saltie babies bred in 2024 at Protivin have been promised to the owner.