Zagreb Zoo

Zagreb Zoo sits in Maksimir Park, a seven-hectare site that began on Swan Island in the First Maksimir Lake. Founded in 1925 by engineer Mijo Filipović with mayor Vjekoslav Heinzel’s backing, it started with just five animals. Today it holds more than 7,000 individuals across 383 species and is Croatia’s largest zoo.

The zoo belongs to European and World zoo federations and runs endangered-species programmes. Its history divides into three building phases: 1930s landscaping, 1950s expansion, and modern work since 1990. Recent projects include a 1,800-square-metre lion enclosure and an aviary where African birds fly overhead metres from visitors.

Visitors enter past the 1926 Enchanted Palace tower and cross the Lions Bridge guarded by stone lions. The Tropical House shelters a long-lived Nile crocodile, while the Monsoon Forests pavilion houses a king cobra and Komodo dragon. Lakeside paths offer views of the park’s historic Egyptian statues and the Neapolitan Fisherman statue beside the water.