The zoological garden in the spa town of Bojnice, which straddles western and central Slovakia, is the country's oldest and most visited zoo. It lies in a beautiful natural setting that surrounds the Bojnice Castle.
Zoological garden Bojnice
The ZOO of Bojnice was opened to the public on April 1, 1955. It covers an area of 42 hectares, and it houses the highest number of animals of all Slovak zoos - 373 animal species (1,858 individuals). Its popularity is easily attested by the fact that it has attracted 45,000 people in the first year of its existence, with the overall number of visitors by 2007 standing at 19 million.
Its most interesting features include pavilions of monkeys and elephants, an aquarium and a terrarium. Particular attention is paid to children, who can play in a so-called children's zoo. It includes a yard with four houses whose architectonic style is similar to houses that can be typically seen in the Čičmany, Liptov and Važec areas.
The zoo also features a seven-metre tall observation tower from the top of which kids children can take a ride down on a slide only to find themselves among tame animals.
The area of the ZOO is partially inclined with forest and meadows and the natural division of the individual exhibitions. The zoo participates in 25 European breeding programmes and 20 European studbooks.
source: Vydavateľstvo Dajama, ZOO Bojnice