The ZOO Bratislava (Slovak: Zoologická záhrada Bratislava) is a 96-hectare (240-acre) zoo in Bratislava, Slovakia, in the borough of Karlova Ves. It lies in the Little Carpathians forest. As of 2007, the zoo has an area of 96-hectare (240-acre), and is home to 1307 specimens of 152 animal species. In 2006, the zoo received 203,000 visitors.[2]
[edit] History
A proposal to establish a zoo in Bratislava first appeared in 1948. Two alternatives presented for the zoo's location: Železná studienka within the Bratislava Forest Park and Mlynská dolina. The latter was chosen as the place for the new zoo, although it was first planned to be used as a part of a cultural park on the Danube riverfront.[3] It was given an area of 9 hectares (22 acres), with a potential for expansion up to 90 hectares (220 acres) Construction began in 1959, and the zoo was officially opened on 9 May 1960. The zoo has undergone two major reductions, the first in 1981-1985, as a result of sewage system and motorway feeder construction, which reduced the area of the zoo to one-third, and the second in 2003, when construction for the D2 motorway access road to the Sitina Tunnel forced a relocation of the entrance gate.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Media related to Bratislava Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
Media related to Bratislava Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
