About us

Orangutan House

In the Orangutan House, you can experience our orangutans, smooth-coated otters, binturongs and Aldabra giant tortoises in their animal-friendly enclosures, and learn a lot about the fragile rainforest ecosystem and the Sumatran orangutans’ way of life in an interactive exhibition.

A whole new animal experience awaits zoo visitors in the new Orangutan House, and the orangutans themselves now have significantly more space, climbing opportunities, retreat areas and activity islands at their disposal. Orangutans are forest dwellers that live almost exclusively in the trees of the tropical rainforest. The concept of the largest building project in the zoo's more than 160-year history takes these needs into account. The orangutans can now reach lofty heights in their new outdoor enclosure: from the crowns of their climbing trees, the animals can see as far as the neighbouring Grand Garden. The Aldabra giant tortoises too have finally been given a winter home that is visible to visitors, and can therefore be seen all year round.

With the new Orangutan House, a place has been created that will hopefully inspire many people and raise their awareness not only for the animals, but also for the issues of nature and species conservation. In an accompanying exhibition, visitors learn about the fragile and highly endangered ecosystem of the tropical rainforest and can follow the orangutans into the treetops of Sumatra.

Prof. Brandes House

The Prof. Brandes House is not only home to our koalas, but also a wide variety of monkey species, such as lion-tailed macaques, emperor tamarins and guerezas, which also feature on the zoo’s logo. The critically endangered crowned lemurs and woolly monkeys, which are rarely displayed in zoos, also live here in appropriate enclosures. In the tropical area, our sloths are free to roam above visitors’ heads. Here visitors can also see our false gharial and various insect species.

A zoo packed with history

Alongside modern facilities and enclosures, the traces of our Zoo’s long history can be seen right across the site. Historic buildings and statues provide numerous reminders of the Zoo’s dynamic history. The goat house, which dates back to 1862, is the oldest building in the Zoo and still serves as the winter residence for our hoofed mountain animals to this day. Another particularly prominent feature are the predator cliffs built in the 1910s, which offer visitors a good view of the elephant and lion enclosure as well as the visitor-accessible ring-tailed lemur island. Statues located throughout the Zoo also act as reminders of important events and eras.