Tiergarten Schönbrunn
Encyclopedia
Tiergarten Schönbrunn or Vienna Zoo is a zoo
located on the grounds of the famous Schönbrunn Palace
in Vienna
, Austria
. Founded as an imperial menagerie
in 1752, it is the oldest zoo in the world.
Today Tiergarten Schönbrunn is considered and regards itself as a scientifically administered zoo which sees its main purpose as a centre for species conservation and general nature conservation as well as in the fulfillment of the education mandate given to it by the legislation. The still preserved buildings of the baroque era, which have been complemented in the last years by elements of modern zoo architecture, convey still a good impression of the 18th century menagerie-buildings after the Versailles
model.
s. The zoo's pandas are named Yang Yang (F), Long Hui (M), Fu Long (M), and Fu Hu (M). Fu Long's birth on 23 August 2007 was the first natural insemination panda birth in Europe. Fu Hu was born exactly 3 years later, and he was also conceived via natural mating.
Other zoo attractions include a rainforest
house, in which the spectator is led through a simulation of the Amazon Rainforest
, an aquarium
, which enables spectators to walk through underneath a simulation of the Amazon in flood, and, more recently, an exhibit of animals in unnatural habitats. The new polarium for animals of the Arctic
region was opened in early 2004.
On July 14, 1906, the zoo saw the birth of the first elephant
in captivity.
Since its privatization
in 1992, it has been led by Helmut Pechlaner, also president of WWF
Austria, who managed to modernize most parts of the zoo and sustain its financial situation. Nowadays, the zoo is managed by Dagmar Schratter.
Private and corporate sponsorship for the various animals is one of the methods employed by the zoo today, along with bookable night excursions and special children's programs. Zoological research takes place at the zoo.
The zoo was constructed in 1752 next to Schloss Schönbrunn by Adrian van Stekhoven at the order of the Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I
, husband of Maria Theresia, to serve as an imperial menagerie
. It was centered around a pavilion meant for imperial breakfasts. Therefore, thirteen animal enclosures in the form of cut cake pieces were established around this central pavilion.
The central pavilions and the menagerie building were built by Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Issey. A small zoo had already existed on the premises since 1540, but the complex was only opened to the public in 1779. Initially, there were no entrance fees.
Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II
organized expeditions to Africa and the Americas
to capture specimens for the zoo. The arrival of the first giraffe
in 1828 influenced Viennese
fashion and city life. Clothes', accessories', and other items' designs were influenced, and Adolf Bäuerle performed his play titled Giraffes in Vienna .
At the onset of World War I, the zoo was home to 712 species and 3500 specimens. Due to diminishing food supplies during the war, the number of specimens rapidly sank to 900. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the war, the zoo became the responsibility of the Austrian Republic.
Bombing raids on February 19 and February 21 of 1945, during World War II, had an even greater impact on the zoo. Many buildings were destroyed and specimens killed, reducing the stock of specimens to 400. The new zoo director, Dr. Julius Brachetka, eventually managed to restore the zoo.
The zoo experienced a financial crisis in the 1980s, but closure of the zoo was prevented by privatization in 1992. Dr. Helmut Pechlaner was assigned as manager of the zoo. After his retirement on January 1, 2007, his deputy Dr. Dagmar Schratter took over his post.
Pechlaner was able to renovate and extend many of the enclosures thanks to a number of sponsors and significantly increased entrance fees. During his time as manager, the zoo was extended by a number of new buildings, including the rainforest
house, the desert house
, and the Tirolean Farm. A number of rare and exotic specimens, such as giant panda
s and koala
s, were attracted to the zoo and contributed to its upswing in popularity.
attacked a caretaker during feeding, killing her in front of zoo visitors. The director tried to help and sustained heavy arm injuries. In February 2005 the young elephant Abu lethally crushed his caretaker. In the following press storm, director Pechlaner offered to resign over the issue.
The zoo is a filming location for the ORF
series Tom Turbo
, which is based on a series of children's books by Thomas Brezina
. Tom Turbo has its garage at the zoo since 2006, and is, together with its creator, sponsor of a tiger at the zoo. Former zoo director Pechlaner makes cameo appearances in a number of episodes.
The Zoo is so popular and famous that on its 250th anniversary it was the topic of one of the most famous silver collectors coins: the 5 euro 250 Years of Vienna Zoo commemorative coin minted on May 8, 2002.
The reverse shows the Emperor's Pavilion surrounded by a variety of animals from the zoo. The dates 1752-2002 refer to the anniversary and, of course, date the coin itself.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located on the grounds of the famous Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Founded as an imperial menagerie
Menagerie
A menagerie is/was a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to...
in 1752, it is the oldest zoo in the world.
Today Tiergarten Schönbrunn is considered and regards itself as a scientifically administered zoo which sees its main purpose as a centre for species conservation and general nature conservation as well as in the fulfillment of the education mandate given to it by the legislation. The still preserved buildings of the baroque era, which have been complemented in the last years by elements of modern zoo architecture, convey still a good impression of the 18th century menagerie-buildings after the Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
model.
Description
Tiergarten Schönbrunn is one of the few zoos worldwide to house giant pandaGiant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
s. The zoo's pandas are named Yang Yang (F), Long Hui (M), Fu Long (M), and Fu Hu (M). Fu Long's birth on 23 August 2007 was the first natural insemination panda birth in Europe. Fu Hu was born exactly 3 years later, and he was also conceived via natural mating.
Other zoo attractions include a rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
house, in which the spectator is led through a simulation of the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, an aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, which enables spectators to walk through underneath a simulation of the Amazon in flood, and, more recently, an exhibit of animals in unnatural habitats. The new polarium for animals of the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
region was opened in early 2004.
On July 14, 1906, the zoo saw the birth of the first elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
in captivity.
Since its privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
in 1992, it has been led by Helmut Pechlaner, also president of WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Austria, who managed to modernize most parts of the zoo and sustain its financial situation. Nowadays, the zoo is managed by Dagmar Schratter.
Private and corporate sponsorship for the various animals is one of the methods employed by the zoo today, along with bookable night excursions and special children's programs. Zoological research takes place at the zoo.
History
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Francis I
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, husband of Maria Theresia, to serve as an imperial menagerie
Menagerie
A menagerie is/was a form of keeping common and exotic animals in captivity that preceded the modern zoological garden. The term was first used in seventeenth century France in reference to the management of household or domestic stock. Later, it came to be used primarily in reference to...
. It was centered around a pavilion meant for imperial breakfasts. Therefore, thirteen animal enclosures in the form of cut cake pieces were established around this central pavilion.
The central pavilions and the menagerie building were built by Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Issey. A small zoo had already existed on the premises since 1540, but the complex was only opened to the public in 1779. Initially, there were no entrance fees.
Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
organized expeditions to Africa and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
to capture specimens for the zoo. The arrival of the first giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
in 1828 influenced Viennese
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
fashion and city life. Clothes', accessories', and other items' designs were influenced, and Adolf Bäuerle performed his play titled Giraffes in Vienna .
At the onset of World War I, the zoo was home to 712 species and 3500 specimens. Due to diminishing food supplies during the war, the number of specimens rapidly sank to 900. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the war, the zoo became the responsibility of the Austrian Republic.
Bombing raids on February 19 and February 21 of 1945, during World War II, had an even greater impact on the zoo. Many buildings were destroyed and specimens killed, reducing the stock of specimens to 400. The new zoo director, Dr. Julius Brachetka, eventually managed to restore the zoo.
The zoo experienced a financial crisis in the 1980s, but closure of the zoo was prevented by privatization in 1992. Dr. Helmut Pechlaner was assigned as manager of the zoo. After his retirement on January 1, 2007, his deputy Dr. Dagmar Schratter took over his post.
Pechlaner was able to renovate and extend many of the enclosures thanks to a number of sponsors and significantly increased entrance fees. During his time as manager, the zoo was extended by a number of new buildings, including the rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
house, the desert house
Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn
The Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn is a desert botanical exhibit in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Sonnenuhrhaus , which was built in 1904 as the newest of the four botanical houses in Schönbrunn Palace Park...
, and the Tirolean Farm. A number of rare and exotic specimens, such as giant panda
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
s and koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s, were attracted to the zoo and contributed to its upswing in popularity.
In the media
A number of tragic accidents have plagued the zoo. In 2002 a jaguarJaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
attacked a caretaker during feeding, killing her in front of zoo visitors. The director tried to help and sustained heavy arm injuries. In February 2005 the young elephant Abu lethally crushed his caretaker. In the following press storm, director Pechlaner offered to resign over the issue.
The zoo is a filming location for the ORF
ORF (broadcaster)
Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF, is the Austrian national public service broadcaster.Funded from a combination of a television licence fees and revenue from limited on-air advertising, ORF is the dominant player in the Austrian broadcast media...
series Tom Turbo
Tom Turbo
Tom Turbo is a series of books by Austrian author Thomas Brezina. The stories feature Tom Turbo, a bike who is able to talk and do one hundred and eleven tricky things. He and his friends try to catch bad guys ....
, which is based on a series of children's books by Thomas Brezina
Thomas Brezina
Thomas Brezina , is an Austrian writer of children's books. He is especially known for his series The Knickerbocker Gang and his stories about the talking bike Tom Turbo. He has published over 400 books and his work has been translated into 33 languages...
. Tom Turbo has its garage at the zoo since 2006, and is, together with its creator, sponsor of a tiger at the zoo. Former zoo director Pechlaner makes cameo appearances in a number of episodes.
The 250 Years Vienna Zoo Silver Coin
The reverse shows the Emperor's Pavilion surrounded by a variety of animals from the zoo. The dates 1752-2002 refer to the anniversary and, of course, date the coin itself.
Literature
- Ash, Mitchell and Dittrich, Lothar (ed.), Menagerie des Kaisers – Zoo der Wiener, Pichler Verlag, Vienna, 2002. ISBN 3-85431-269-5
- Helmut Pechlaner, Dagmar Schratter, Gerhard Heindl (publisher): Von Kaiser bis Känguru. Neues zur Geschichte des ältesten Zoos der Welt. Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7003-1497-3