Kölner Zoo

In the Cologne district of Riehl lies the Zoologische Garten Köln, whose opening in 1860 marked the beginning of a long history of zoological exhibition and research institutions in Germany. The zoo is one of the oldest of its kind in the country and most recently recorded over 1.3 million visitors (2019).

The site on the banks of the Rhine developed from the mid-19th century into a green excursion destination; early design ideas combined landscaped gardens with exotic enclosures. Several historic buildings from the 19th century are still visible today, including the former Giraffen- und Antilopenhaus (1863/74), the Elefantenhaus, the Seelöwenfelsen (1887) and the Vogelhaus of 1899. The structures are protected as historic monuments; in renovations the zoo seeks to integrate modern husbandry standards into the historic fabric.

Wars and economic crises in the 20th century led to heavy losses in the animal collection and to extensive reconstruction phases. After the Second World War a period of intensive expansion and modernization began: area and collections grew, an aquarium was opened in 1971, and from the 1980s a shift toward naturalistic, cage-free enclosures set in. A notable example is the Urwaldhaus, opened in 1985, a large, humid greenhouse that provides great apes with a jungle-like environment and is regarded as an early immersion enclosure. Since 1985 the zoo has also coordinated conservation breeding programmes for threatened species.

Since 2012 the zoo has followed a master plan that organises animal presentation according to geographical zones (Geozoo) and links historic installations with new, continent-based habitats. Recent focal points include the Tropenhaus Südostasien (2000), the Elefantenpark (2004) and the Hippodom (2010) as a recreation of an African river landscape. In the South America section the Arnulf-und-Elizabeth-Reichert-Haus, restored in accordance with heritage preservation standards, was reopened; it displays free-moving mammals, birds and fish of Central and South America.

Today the zoo functions at once as a recreational space, an educational venue and a conservation centre: it participates in international conservation projects, runs breeding programmes with tangible successes for Asian elephants, and offers visitors insights into the habitats and behaviours of numerous species. Wild birds have become permanently established in the old stands of trees and complement the inner life of the zoo.