Zoological Garden in Poznan

Poznan is one of the few cities which boasts as many as two zoological gardens: the Old Zoological Garden and the New Zoological Garden. The Old Zoological Garden former, situated in Zwierzyniecka Street, dates back to 1871. Its origins are quite peculiar as they are connected with the Bowls Club members who used to meet in the nearby railway station. On the 50th birthday anniversary of the club chairman, they presented him with livestock (a monkey, a peacock, a goat, a tamed bear, etc.) The animals, kept in the garden close to the station, became the city attraction. Then, the inhabitants of Poznan brought more and more animals here. This is how the first Poznan zoo came into being. One of its most interesting part is the early 20th-century bird of prey aviary.

The zoo has developed over the years. Till World War I, apart from its basic educational role, the zoo played an important cultural function. A lot of concerts, shows and other events took place in the old zoological garden. Even Strauss, the last descendant of the famous Vienna waltz family, performed here twice. In 1974, on the old zoo’s centennial anniversary, a new zoo was open to the public. The New Zoological Garden is situated close to Lake Malta (Jezioro Maltanskie). It occupies the area of 113 ha, which makes it the largest zoo in Poland. It is home to about 150 animal species. Its modern enclosures and pavilions in which the animals are kept are aimed at creating the natural habitat conditions. The original idea was to move the whole Old Zoo to a new ground, however, since it was registered as a historical monument in 1976, it has to be kept. Thus, nowadays Poznan has two zoological gardens. Both zoos have developed since then. In the old one new pavilions presenting fish, reptiles and amphibians have been open to the public.
The new zoo has also undergone a lot of changes in the past few years to transform into a 21st-century attraction. One of them is a launch of the New Zoo train which is a perfect way of getting around the zoo grounds.

The Old Zoological Garden Address: 19 Zwierzyniecka Street
The New Zoological Garden Address: 81 Krancowa Street