Wanderer
Well-Known Member
This thread can considered a followup/response to this one from 2019 by @lintworm
I recently spent a weekend in Hoyerswerda. Now you might be wondering: what the hell were you doing in such a remote part of Germany? And to be fair, I did question my traveling choices when I landed there. The town is so calm and empty it genuinely gave me the chills... Maybe it is because of its tidiness. Everything is well maintained, but there is barely anyone on the streets.
The answer is that I like unusual travel destinations. A while ago I read a novel that took place in the area and it sparked my interest. And after spending two days in Prague I must say I was getting a bit sick of all the touristy stuff (though I have nothing against the city itself).
The area is wonderful for bird watching: I saw cranes, storks and wild geese in the fields. If I had been more prepared I would definitely have gone on a real hike.
The castle (included in the zoo ticket) has a nice little exhibition on the town's history. Basically the town peaked in the GDR era due to its coal refining plant, which brought in thousands of workers. It was at that time that the zoo was created (1959), as the newly appointed director of the town museum decided to bring animals into the castle grounds. He was also a painter, and many works of art from fellow GDR artists were brought to the park along with the animals.
The pictures I added to the gallery are focused mostly on the art, since @lintworm already took pictures of most of the enclosures. As far as I can tell, little has changed since 2019: the penguin exhibit was revamped (but not enlarged), the raven cage got an extension, and what I assumed to be an already old exhibit was actually a new cage for the North China leopards built over the old tiger enclosure.
My overall impression is that this zoo lacks two things: funding and vision. Since the zoo is operated by the town, it seems to function with a very small budget. It looks like they struggle to even repair some of the already existing enclosures. So it's a situation where the zoo doesn't really know where it's going, as it is too focused on doing little repairs and revamps.
This is a zoo with a unique history and identity. With a clear project and appropriate funding I feel like it could become quite nice. Small things like cleaner-looking pathways, a bit of landscaping on the lake, and doing a better job at showcasing the artworks would already go a long way. In terms of animal exhibits, I would recommend building a proper, innovative petting zoo for the families with children (there is already a small walk-through goat enclosure but it's not great). A lot of the old-school cages would probably need to be removed, or they could be converted to house mostly bird species. These are my two cents.
Overall a bit of a strange visit on a beautiful spring day.
I recently spent a weekend in Hoyerswerda. Now you might be wondering: what the hell were you doing in such a remote part of Germany? And to be fair, I did question my traveling choices when I landed there. The town is so calm and empty it genuinely gave me the chills... Maybe it is because of its tidiness. Everything is well maintained, but there is barely anyone on the streets.
The answer is that I like unusual travel destinations. A while ago I read a novel that took place in the area and it sparked my interest. And after spending two days in Prague I must say I was getting a bit sick of all the touristy stuff (though I have nothing against the city itself).
The area is wonderful for bird watching: I saw cranes, storks and wild geese in the fields. If I had been more prepared I would definitely have gone on a real hike.
The castle (included in the zoo ticket) has a nice little exhibition on the town's history. Basically the town peaked in the GDR era due to its coal refining plant, which brought in thousands of workers. It was at that time that the zoo was created (1959), as the newly appointed director of the town museum decided to bring animals into the castle grounds. He was also a painter, and many works of art from fellow GDR artists were brought to the park along with the animals.
The pictures I added to the gallery are focused mostly on the art, since @lintworm already took pictures of most of the enclosures. As far as I can tell, little has changed since 2019: the penguin exhibit was revamped (but not enlarged), the raven cage got an extension, and what I assumed to be an already old exhibit was actually a new cage for the North China leopards built over the old tiger enclosure.
My overall impression is that this zoo lacks two things: funding and vision. Since the zoo is operated by the town, it seems to function with a very small budget. It looks like they struggle to even repair some of the already existing enclosures. So it's a situation where the zoo doesn't really know where it's going, as it is too focused on doing little repairs and revamps.
This is a zoo with a unique history and identity. With a clear project and appropriate funding I feel like it could become quite nice. Small things like cleaner-looking pathways, a bit of landscaping on the lake, and doing a better job at showcasing the artworks would already go a long way. In terms of animal exhibits, I would recommend building a proper, innovative petting zoo for the families with children (there is already a small walk-through goat enclosure but it's not great). A lot of the old-school cages would probably need to be removed, or they could be converted to house mostly bird species. These are my two cents.
Overall a bit of a strange visit on a beautiful spring day.
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