Old Zoo, Poznań

Poznań's zoo began as a birthday joke. In 1871 the regulars of a restaurant by the railway station, members of a skittles club, decided to celebrate their president's fiftieth birthday by giving him… animals. From a goat, a sheep, a peacock, a monkey and a trained bear grew a garden that is now the oldest continuously operating zoo in Poland. Entry to the Old Zoo is free.

History: from menagerie to listed monument

The menagerie in the station restaurant's yard grew fast, as local people kept bringing more animals. In 1875 a Zoological Garden Society was founded, and from 1883 the zoo was run by Robert Jaeckel, its real organiser. In his time a grotto and an elephant house crowned with a crescent dome were built, and in 1895 an Indian elephant arrived. By 1907 the zoo had around 900 animals of more than 400 species and at least 250,000 visitors a year. In 1911 the city took it over.

The Old Zoo covers 5.24 ha in the Jeżyce district and is the second-oldest zoo in Poland after Wrocław. As an example of 19th- and 20th-century animal architecture it is a listed monument. Together with the New Zoo it forms the single Poznań Zoological Garden.

What to look for

• The Grotto – opened on 14 April 1906; it once held an aquarium inside and a rock garden on top.
• The Old Aviary from 1888 – now home to golden-handed and cotton-top tamarins.
• The Monkey House from 1927 – still used for its original purpose.
• The wading-bird aviary from 1924 – a dome 22 × 20 m and 14 m high.
• The Old Lion House from the early 20th century, now the Museum of the History of the Zoo and the Lion.

Good to know

In 1913–1914 Johann Strauss gave two concerts in the zoo. In 1913 it took over a huge Indian elephant called "Little Cohn" from the Sarrasani circus; he lived here until 1924. A monument to Robert Jaeckel by the Berlin sculptor August Gaul was unveiled in 1910.

Opening hours and admission

The Old Zoo is open daily: April–September 9:00–19:00, March and October 9:00–17:00, November–February 9:00–16:00. Entry to the grounds and to the Zoo History Museum is free; tickets are only needed for the Cold-Blooded Animals Pavilion – check its price on the zoo website.

Tripto tip

Allow about an hour for a stroll, longer with the museum and pavilion. The easiest way there is by tram to the Zwierzyniecka stop – the entrance at ul. Zwierzyniecka 19 is about 100 metres away. Street parking nearby is paid during the hours of the city's paid parking zone. Don't confuse the Old Zoo with the New Zoo on ul. Krańcowa: they are two separate sites on opposite sides of the city, and the large enclosures and most of the collection are at the New Zoo.