Dublin zoo

Zoo, Dublin

The zoological garden of Dublin, Ireland, is the largest zoo in the country and one of the oldest in Europe. It was opened in 1831 and you can have a very long walk within the 28 hectares of ground. When I was there I was seeing rather few animals – but it was rather late and bad weather, most of them were inside. One of the former inhabitants we all know: the lion Cairbre (born 1927) was the face of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and we all saw it already multiple times before a movie started.

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Tierpark

Tierpark, Chemnitz

The zoological garden of Chemnitz, Germany isn’t very big – but it is a nice place to be. What I will remember of this zoo are the big tropical house, the high number of different frogs at the Vivarium and the very active porcupine family. I love porcupines. The Tierpark Chemnitz is located in the west of the city and a bit afar from the city center. You can reach it by taking a train from the main railway station to Chemnitz-Siegmar – from there it is an easy ten minutes walk to the zoo.

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Latenight zoo

Zoo Aquarium, Madrid

Going to the zoo at Madrid, Spain can be a special experience. While zoological gardens most often close in the late afternoon this one is open at least until 8:30pm, three times a week it is open until midnight. That’s because of the high temperatures that make a visit during daytime less nice. Therefore you can have a visit in the dark, see animals in slightly enlighted environments and have a very late dinner there.

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Zooloģiskais dārzs

Zoo, Rīga

The zoological garden of Rīga, Latvia dates back to the year 1912. It is located north of the city within the giant Mežaparks and close to the Ķīšezers lake. The zooloģiskais dārzs is a classic zoological garden with 4000 animals of 500 species – you’ll find every animal you would expect. But it is also still a zoo in the making – with some areas deteriorating and some areas buing currently rebuilt.

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Tallinn zoo

Zoo, Tallinn

The loomaaed (zoo) of Tallinn, Estonia is located a little bit outside of the city center close to the big shopping mall ‘Rocca al mare‘. It is a large area with many animals and a zoological garden undergoing a slow remake. There are a lot of old and empty cages, climbing elements for the animals made of concrete and often a high distance between visitors and animals – but also a lot of new buildings and areas beautifully designed.

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Kölner Zoo

Zoo, Köln

The zoological garden of Köln, Germany dates back to the year 1860 and is therefore the third oldest zoo in Germany. It is 20 hectares large and to see everything you have to walk long distances. What I liked is the round trip that ensures that you miss no species. The Kölner Zoo is visited by 1.7 million persons each year. Continue reading “Kölner Zoo”