Prague Zoo celebrated its 90th anniversary

In the rhythms of swing, accompanied by stylishly dressed ladies and gentlemen and the rumble of old cars and motorcycles, the Prague Zoo has been celebrating its 90th anniversary since the official opening of the operation. It opened to the first visitors on September 28, 1931. The then unfinished eight-hectare zoo complex has been transformed into the current almost 60-hectare modern zoo in the nine decades of its existence, which is located among the five best zoos in the world.

The all-day celebrations were in the spirit of the 1930s. There were also period costumes that all employees throughout the zoo and many visitors had. Period cars, motorcycles and motorcycles also drove through the garden.

“Today we commemorate exactly ninety years since the first visitors passed through the gates of the emerging zoo,” visitors to the garden were welcomed by its director Miroslav Bobek. »And I do not want to name here only its director, who deserved it, led by Professor Jiří Janda, but I would like to mention here all those who contributed to the establishment and existence of this garden with their work, their contribution and gave it a part, often with all your heart. And last but not least, to you, the visitors, « added the director.

As part of the celebrations, several baptisms took place. The first was the launch of an extensive, richly illustrated book mapping the history of the zoo, entitled Zoo for the Capital, on which its author Hana Heráňová worked for several years. It maps the origin of the garden from the first idea after 1945.

Immediately after that, a new board game was christened, based on the interesting facts and facts of the zoo, on the creation of which the garden cooperated with Albi companies. Her baptism was performed by a male South African sea lion Melon with his kiss. The three lucky ones then took the new game home.

And last but not least, a special trio of securities was christened in the valley of elephants, a limited edition of Trojan tolars – security prints in high-quality polygraphic processing by the State Printing House of Securities. »On our ‘banknotes’, correctly commemorative certificates, we have the values ​​of 100, 500 and 1000 Trojan tolars. The funds we obtain from the sale of Trojan tolars will be mainly exclusively on situational projects, ie for the protection of endangered species in areas of their natural occurrence, « explained Miroslav Bobek. They depict some of the most popular animals at the Prague Zoo – the Indian elephant, the South African sea lion and the lowland gorilla.

And the festive day was enjoyed by large and small visitors, for whom a rich accompanying program was prepared. A children’s competition for prizes, a hairdressing and photo studio, an exhibition on the creation of gardens, and a period atmosphere were completed by many motorcycle veterans, a flute player and camelots, and many others.

Helena KOČOVÁ

PHOTO – author