After the success of Europe's 50 must see zoos it is now finally time for it’s sequel: Europe’s 100 must see exhibits! The term exhibit used here is rather loose, it can be anything from a single small tank to a larger exhibit complex, as long as it forms a single unit within the zoo. I have picked 100 different exhibits from across the continent, all of which I think are great exhibits or do a fantastic job in showing a particular kind of design, theme or theming. Whether you can see a large number of species or many rarities in an exhibit, was not included in my considerations. That means some of Europe’ all-time greats will be included, as well as some lesser known gems, some of which are currently unrepresented on Zoochat. But exhibits showing just high diversity in a boring design, like Madagascar in Plzen, are excluded, as are worst case examples. With “must see” I do not mean “best”, that is even more a subjective term. As with zoos themselves I think it is a pointless exercise in determining what is the best exhibit, though it makes for entertaining discussions. Naturally there are good and bad exhibits and some of the exhibits I deem must see, are certainly not great for their inhabitants. That said, I will use the term “best” from time to time, when I think an enclosure is a best example of a certain type. Contrary to the previous thread, which was ordered by country, there will be no logical order. The order is completely randomised, though no zoo will have two exhibits presented right after each other. This will be a journey across the continent, with around 70 different zoos included. Even more so than with selecting zoos, selecting exhibits can be a challenge, as sometimes a similar idea is performed in a great way in multiple zoos simultaneously. Where I felt that was the case, I will try to show some examples from other zoos too, but these lists are not meant to be exhaustive. So let’s get down to business.
(Moderator note: the following index has been reproduced from the end of the thread, and is presented here for ease-of-access) For easy reference, here is the index, sorted by country and zoo: AUSTRIA Herberstein, Tierwelt Mandrill and grivet enclosure (28) Innsbruck, Alpenzoo Coldwater aquarium (52) Salzburg, Zoo African savanna (2) Vienna, Tiergarten Schönbrunn Bird house (98) Vienna, Tiergarten Schönbrunn Rotunda (91) Vienna, Tiergarten Schönbrunn Tirolerhof (48) BELGIUM Antwerp, Zoo Aquarium and Reptile house (94) Antwerp, Zoo Egyptian temple (11) Cambron Casteau, Pairi Daiza Crypt (13) Cambron Casteau, Pairi Daiza Kingdom of Ganesha (64) Cambron Casteau, Pairi Daiza The Middle Kingdom (56) CZECHIA Ostrava, Zoo Chitwan (33) Prague, Zoo Giant salamander house (82) Prague, Zoo Sichuan house (1) Prague, Zoo Mountain ungulate cliffs (53) DENMARK Copenhagen, Zoo Elephant house (59) Kolind, Skandinavisk Dyrepark Polar bear enclosure (72) Odense, Zoo Sitatunga enclosure (95) Randers, Regnskov Snake temple (77) FINLAND Helsinki, Korkeasaari Zoo Borealia (24) FRANCE Besancon, Zoo Citadelle Gelada moat (31) Boulogne-sur-Mer, Nausicaa Voyage of the high seas (50) Clères, Parc Le Grand Parc (66) Doué-la-Fontaine, Bioparc Zoo Okapi Sanctuary (38) Doué-la-Fontaine, Bioparc Zoo South American aviary (42) Paris, Menagerie Jardin des Plantes Fauverie (47) Paris, Parc Zoologique Great rock (100) Romagne, La Vallée des Singes Bonobo enclosure (75) Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher, Zooparc de Beauval Hippo aviary (45) Sigean, Réserve Africaine African drive-through savannas (12) Sigean, Réserve Africaine African aviary (46) Villiers-en-Bois Zoodyssée Odyssée des Campagnes (76) GERMANY Berlin, Tierpark Alfred-Brehm house (92) Berlin, Tierpark Camel paddocks (34) Berlin, Tierpark Vulture aviary (39) Berlin, Zoo Antelope house (80) Berlin, Zoo Aquarium (19) Berlin, Zoo Bison houses (21) Berlin, Zoo Hippo house (74) Dresden, Zoo European and Tundra aviaries (68) Frankfurt, Zoo Borgoriwald (57) Frankfurt, Zoo Grzimek house (49) Görlitz, Naturschutz-Tierpark Tibetan village (89) Grafenau, Tierfreigelände I des Nationalparks Bayerischer Wald Wisent enclosure (73) Hamburg, Tierpark Hagenbeck African panorama (81) Hamburg, Tierpark Hagenbeck Eismeer (97) Hannover, Erlebnis-Zoo Yukon Bay (93) Köln, Zoo Reptile house and aquarium (22) Köln, Zoo Urwaldhaus (69) Leipzig, Zoo Gondwanaland (37) Leipzig, Zoo Kiwarasavanna + Kopje (63) Magdeburg, Zoo Tapir enclosure (23) Marlow, Vogelpark Boddenaviary (61) Nürnberg, Tiergarten Desert house (6) Nürnberg, Tiergarten Slender-tailed meerkat enclosure (27) Nürnberg, Tiergarten Yellow-throated marten enclosure (55) Osnabrück, Zoo Underground zoo (87) Rostock, Zoo Darwineum (62) Stein, Freilandterrarium European herpetofauna exhibits (4) Stralsund, Ozeaneum Baltic Sea (8) Stuttgart, Wilhelma Gibbon cage (17) HUNGARY Budapest, Zoo Elephant house (35) NETHERLANDS Amsterdam, Natura Artis Magistra Micropia (70) Apeldoorn, Apenheul Gorilla island (60) Apeldoorn, Apenheul Squirrel monkey forest (40) Arnhem, Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Bush (14) Arnhem, Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Desert (32) Arnhem, Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Mangrove (88) Arnhem, Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Ocean (85) Arnhem, Burgers' Zoo Rimba mixed species paddock (9) Harderwijk, Dolfinarium Dolphin delta (84) Rotterdam, Diergaarde Blijdorp Oceanium (96) NORWAY Ålesund, Atlanterhavsparken Atlanterhavstanken (67) Kristiansand, Dyrepark Siberian tiger enclosure (83) POLAND Wroclaw, Zoo Afrykarium (51) PORTUGAL Lisbon, Oceanario Southern Oceans (43) SPAIN Madrid, Zoo Mountain ungulate rocks (30) Obregon, Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno Baboon enclosure (54) Puerto de la Cruz, Loro Parque Planet Penguin (65) SWEDEN Borås, Djurpark Savannah (71) Hunebostrand, Nordens Ark Leopard enclosure (20) Kolmården, Zoo Brådjupet (90) SWITZERLAND Basel, Zoo Etosha house (36) Basel, Zoo Geigy house (18) Bern, Tierpark Dählhölzli Aare river bank (41) Zürich, Zoo Kaeng Krachan Elefantenpark (29) Zürich, Zoo Lewa savanne (16) Zürich, Zoo Masoala (79) Zürich, Zoo Sangay cloud forest (5) UNITED KINGDOM Bekesbourne, Howletts Wild Animal Park Gorillarium (7) Burford, Cotswold Wildlife Park Walled garden (10) Chester, Zoo Islands (86) Chester, Zoo Realm of the Red Ape (3) Chester, Zoo Spirit of the Jaguar (26) Dudley, Zoo Tecton architecture (15) Dunstable, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Bear enclosure (25) Edinburgh, Zoo Living Links (99) Kingussie, Highland Wildlife Park Snow leopard enclosure (78) London, ZSL London Zoo Tiny Giants (58) Newquay, Zoo Gems of the Jungle (44)
Sound like a great idea @lintworm ! Would be intresting to see if your ideas of great / good / special / must see exibits are the same as those of other ZooChatters. I guess a lot of discusion in this thread !
Great idea @lintworm. I'll make my own list this evening and before starting reading this topic. Should be a 80% match at least, but I'm particulary curious about the diffences.
I would honestly be surprised if the match is above 50%, there is far too much to choose from. But I would be most curious to see your list in a PM...
Another thread that I suspect will distract me far more than it should - super excited for this @lintworm
Sounds like a very cool idea, Lintworm. This is definitely one of the threads I will be watching in 2022. Just off the top of my head I can think of a few exhibits that might make it into this list, it'll be interesting to see whether they will indeed be included.
I never got around to writing up my rough European Top 50 Exhibits list after consulting @lintworm a year or so ago and learning he planned such a thread of his own but perhaps I should, in order to see how much crossover there is.
Personally I’m interested in the zoos that will have the most must-see exhibits. Burger’s and Zurich are obvious inclusions, but I’m not sure of many else.
Doue will punch far above its weight on this one I suspect, and Chester, Vienna, Prague and Antwerp are pretty much guaranteed as well I suspect. I'm interested to know whether Wroclaw's Afrykarium is too big to be considered as just an 'exhibit'?
I guess some of these massive exhibit complexes are still coherent units, so they could be included as one record in the list.
With this thread, @TeaLovingDave's guidebook thread, and a project I have in store for down the the road, it's looking to be one of the best years for content on ZooChat in a long time!
I'll be honest, if this motivates people to start producing large swathes of quality content on the forum I won't even *care* if my own thread is left in the shade and receives nary a nomination; prompting a greater degree of discussion and community spirit being my actual aim to begin with.
I had hoped that this thread would be welcomed, but even then I am surprised by how popular it seems already now. I had a quick look and the first post is already the 2nd most liked post in the history of zoochat (still 8 likes short of @Zooplantman not liking humans). So the pressure is on then The Afrykarium would definitely count as it is one coherent unit. The exhibits all fall in the range of 100 square meters to well over 10 hectares and everything in between. Size does not matter here
There is no such function, but I looked at the statistics @Simon Hampel showed in ZooChat is 18 years old! , which would only miss the most recent posts.
1. Sichuan house Zoo Praha, Czechia Opened: 2004 Size: 400 square metres Inhabitants: ∼15 E-Asian bird species including satyr tragopan, barred cuckoo-dove, cotton pygmy-goose and multiple laughing-thrush species. Tucked away behind a bamboo forest, lies a small house, which fortunately for us, is easily overlooked by the general public. The Sichuan house consists of a single walk-through aviary, showing a variety of birds from East Asia’s temperate forests. This biome is often overlooked in favour of the Southeast Asian rainforest, but that is a pity, as it is home to a set of diverse and colourful birds. This small house does a wonderful job in showing these birds in a pleasant and calm environment. The combination of nice planting and an interesting set of inhabitants, including many rarities, makes this a perfect place for a break in one of Europe’s most diverse zoos. The house is not so big that it is impossible to see all species, but big and structured enough that one has to put in some effort. This is a place where patience pays off to find all species and to observe some wonderful behaviour. It is a perfect example of how a great exhibit does not have to be big or contain any star species to be attractive. @lintworm @MagpieGoose Similar exhibits: none, though I would like to highlight a small aviary complex in Ostrava, Czechia, which also focuses on Chinese birds. It shows the diversity of birds on a altitudinal gradient, from a rocky mountain slope to a wetland: @lintworm @LaughingDove
