Antwerp Attractions

Venue: Antwerp Zoo    When: Daily

Laid out on a site just outside the city walls in the mid-19th century, Antwerp's zoo is now at the heart of town next to the central station, making it a breeze to visit, even on a day trip from Brussels or Amsterdam.

The zoo houses over 6000 animals of 750 species and the provision of modern open-plan enclosures has been accomplished without diminishing the charm of the zoo's Victorian decoration. The entrance gate and pavilion recall the days when municipal innovations like zoos, museums and swimming pools showed proud, ornate faces to the world.

Recent additions have given the zoo modern attractions to go with its old-fashioned charm. Freezeland, a habitat for sea otters and penguins, has joined the Nocturama (for the creatures of the night), a planetarium, a winter garden and an aquarium.

At a children's playground next to one of the snack stands, rambunctious school groups run off their excess energy, while park benches facing embankments planted with hundreds of bulbs offer a sedentary springtime pleasure.

The passage of time and the extensive landscaping of the grounds have turned the zoo into a green oasis in the very centre of the modern city. The scientific side of zoo operation has not been neglected and the Royal Zoological Society has, like many other zoo administrations, embarked on breeding programmes to sustain populations of threatened species.