Prague Zoo celebrated its 90th birthday: costumes, a swing and gifts
The celebrations of the zoo were conceived in the spirit of the 1930s. A swing band played at the educational center near the main entrance to the complex, and visitors could participate in swing workshops. In the morning, a procession of people in period costumes also passed from the educational center to the Archa Theater. Historic cars and motorcycles were also on display in the area.
In honor of the anniversary of its opening, the Prague Zoo has also released a limited edition of Trojan tolars, which are possible on the e-shop of the State Printing House of Securities. The prints depict popular animals from the Troja Zoo, namely the Indian elephant, the South African sea lion and the lowland gorilla. The money from the sale of tolars is used by zoos to finance its projects, which aim to protect endangered species in areas of their natural occurrence.
Before the opening of the Troja Zoo in Prague, there are various menageries, but there is no publicly available spectacle of exotic animals. “It is associated with the first open zoo mainly on behalf of the first director Jiří Janda. He has dedicated a large part of his life and immense efforts to the establishment and construction of gardens,“Presented the current director of the Prague Zoo Miroslav Bobek. “This year we commemorate the 90th anniversary of the opening, ie specifically the opening of its then construction site, the zoo was built for many more years. After decades of debate, controversy and preparations, the capitals finally got their own zoo. ”
The first was the lioness Šárka
The zoo was originally supposed to be built in Štvanice, but after the Second World War, the landowner Alois Svoboda donated land in Troja to the town provided that a zoo is also built on them. The first animal, which did not have a suitable quarters, was the lioness Šárka donated by the Rebernigg circus in 1930. The wolf Lotta then became the first official inhabitant of the zoo.
Last year and this year, the zoo saw a decrease in visitors due to the covidu-19 pandemic. In 2019, however, the visitor record of the zoo was broken, when 1,456,526 visitors came to its gates. Last year, 851,623 people came to the garden.
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The symbolic male of the South African sea lion Meloun christened the board game In the Footsteps of the Prague Zoo.
Author: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo