Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo opened in 1859 on the edge of Frederiksberg Gardens and is among the oldest in Europe, which shows in its layout: a compact site with mature trees, narrow paths and a wooden observation tower from 1905 that still marks it on the skyline. Newer buildings have replaced the worst of the old cages. The elephant house designed by Norman Foster puts the herd under two glass domes with a view straight in, and the Arctic Ring lets you watch polar bears swim past through a glazed tunnel. The rest is a standard large collection of big cats, primates and a children's farm, packed into a site you can walk in a morning.

History

The ornithologist Niels Kjærbølling founded the zoo in 1859 in the former summer garden of Princess Vilhelmine, and at the opening visitors could see eagles, chickens, ducks, owls, rabbits, a fox, a seal in a bathtub and a turtle in a bucket. In its early years it tried to show as many kinds of animal as possible, but as animal welfare became a concern the number of species fell in favour of more space for each; a male slow worm that lived here from 1892 to 1946 set a record of 54 years among lizards. From the early 1980s cages were replaced by enclosures recreating natural habitats, among them the Elephant House by Norman Foster and the 1.5-hectare Savanna with a hippopotamus house where the hippos can be watched underwater. Many old buildings survive: a yak stable of 1872, now housing Bactrian camels, a herbivore house of 1875 that still holds tapirs, an owl tower of 1885 kept as a memorial of how animals were once housed, and the wooden observation tower of 1905, 43.5 metres high and one of the tallest wooden observation towers in the world. Since 2019 the zoo has housed two giant pandas in an enclosure shaped as a yin and yang symbol (Wikipedia, Copenhagen Zoo).

What you'll find

• The Arctic Ring - polar bears seen underwater through a glazed tunnel.
• The elephant house - a glass-domed building by Norman Foster with the herd inside and out.
• The 1905 tower - a wooden observation tower with a view over the rooftops.
• The children's farm - goats and other domestic animals at close range.

When to go

Open all year, and animals are often more active on cool days than in July heat. Feeding times are posted at the entrance and worth planning around. Weekday mornings outside Danish school holidays are calmest, and the last hours of the afternoon empty out. Most of the site is outdoors, so rain is felt.

Good to know

It is expensive for a half-day out, particularly for a family, and the site is small enough that some enclosures feel tight despite the rebuilding. Weekends and school holidays crowd the narrow paths. Plenty of animals will be indoors or asleep. The zoo has drawn public criticism in the past over how it manages surplus animals.

Nearby

Frederiksberg Gardens are next door; central Copenhagen is fifteen minutes by bus.

Key facts