Prague ZOO

In a competition of hundreds of top zoos from all over the world, Prague Zoo reached the Top 5. The information is based on visitors’ reviews and ratings at global travel portal TripAdvisor.

Prague Zoological Garden is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to “advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public” in the district of Troja in the north of Prague. In 2013, the zoo occupied 58ha with 45ha in use for exhibits, and housed around 4,200 animals from just under 650 species, including 132 species listed as threatened.

Prague Zoo was rated as the seventh best zoo in the world by Forbes Travel Guide in 2007, and is rated as the fifth best in the world by TripAdvisor.The zoo has contributed significantly to saving Przewalski’s horse; for many years, it was the leading breeder of the species. HistoryThe idea for a zoological garden in Prague was first proposed in 1881 in a newspaper article by Count Sweerts-Spork, on the occasion of the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium.In 1919, at a meeting of the advisory board for mathematics and natural sciences at the Ministry of Education and National Enlightenment, a committee was established to start the preparatory work on the establishment of the zoo.

The zoo was opened to the public on 28 September 1931.In 1938 the first artificially bred Andean condor in the world was hatched and reared, and the first artifically bred polar bear, a female named Ilun, followed in 1942. In 1959 Dr. Zdeněk Veselovský was appointed as director of the zoo. Under his leadership, the zoo achieved some world-class successes in the area of breeding and scientific research.

Place: U Trojského zámku 120/3
Tel: 702 009 861
E mail: pr@zoopraha.cz

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