It's kind of a tradition that I visit a zoo every year. So I have been to quite a few zoos all over the world and strangely enough never in the Prague zoo as a zoo fanatic.
That really had to change because I had heard so much about this zoo that it had to be so special. Actually, I had just too little time on my last trip in Prague, but since the entrance fee converted to euros was only a tenner on the last day, I thought I'd just go and if necessary just go again during my next trip.
What makes Prague Zoo so special is its location on and against a high hill. When you start your visit at the bottom of the entrance, you immediately have a very nice view of the hill. It is then quite a climb to the top of the hill via winding paths, but that doesn't matter because you will encounter many special animal species along the way. On top of the hill you also have a very nice view over the city of Prague. Is the climb too hard? In the high season, a chair lift goes up as we normally encounter on the ski slope. The nice thing about the chair lift is that it is operated by the Prague public transport company and if you have a 24 or 72 hour ticket the lift is free. During my visit, the elevator was standing still. On top of the hill you will find the elephants' enclosures and you can make the shortcut to the new part of the park on the other side of a road.
History:
Prague Zoo was opened in the year 1931 and since then it has built up a rich history. This is not only due to the many special animals, but also due to special events. In 2002, the prak was also hit hard by the major floods of the Vltava. Many animals could be brought to safety, but unfortunately this did not work in time with some animals. A Seal had gone on a voyage of discovery and turned up in the German town of Dresden. She got the animal back but he was much too weak and sad as it was he died. The floods also caused a lot of damage to buildings and some animals drowned. In 2013, the zoo was again hit by a major flood from the Vltava.
Animals:
Of course, you visit a zoo primarily for the animals. In the more than 60 hectare park you can find more than 4000 animals of many different species. You will find farm animals, birds, monkeys, cats, elephants and exotic species. The petting zoo downstairs is fun for the kids. You could also turn some feed from a machine there so that as a child you can give the animals some food, very nice and because the Crown has a lot less value compared to the Euro, it is also not that expensive. The animal park is mainly made up of themed areas such as Australia and you will also find an indoor rainforest. What is very nice is that the animals have huge enclosures compared to other zoos. You hardly see enclosures as large as in Prague Zoo.
Very special to see are the Przewalski horses. For a long time, the Przewalski horse was a horse breed that was virtually unknown all over the world. Prague Zoo then rescued a number of Przewalski's horses in order to preserve the species. If Prague Zoo had not done this, the species would probably now be extinct worldwide.
According to the park, there are more than 10 kilometers of hiking trails, so you can be there for a long time. The mentioned 10 kilometers can generally be correct because it is quite a climb up and down the hill / mountain via the winding paths. If you have less mobility or still have young children, the aforementioned cable car to the top offers a good solution.
Reachability:
First of all, a big compliment about the accessibility. To reach the zoo you travel to train/metro station Holešovice and from there you get on bus 112 which will drop you in front of the door in about 10 minutes. The bus runs very frequently and runs every 8 to 10 minutes, which is unprecedented. In addition, it is standard an articulated harmonica bus, so you always have a guaranteed seat.
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