Visit one of the most beautiful places in Moravia in the Zlín Region. It’s just a stone’s throw from the Spa Square. The zoological garden is 10 km from the centre of Zlín. The first zoo was founded by Tomáš Baťa on 1st May 1930. His brother Jan Antonín Baťa had the Zlín Skyscraper built in the city centre. Initially, the garden was located in the park near Zlín Castle, then it was moved to the top of Tlustá Hill. It remained there until the middle of World War II. Even today, you can still see the foundations of concrete cages at this site. Nowadays, the zoo is amongst the most visited gardens in the Czech Republic. A great original feature is the division of the grounds by continents.
In one day you can travel through Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. Zlín Zoo is a unique place where you’ll see animals from all continents with free-roaming enclosures. Visitors can discover more than 200 species of animals. In the tropical Yucatan hall, amongst the fauna and flora, you’ll see reminders of Mayan civilisation. A unique attraction is the stingray bay. This spot has become the zoo’s pride and joy. In the pool you’ll see 20 Omani stingrays, which you don’t just have to look at, but can stroke and feed them too.
The Japanese garden Mu-Shin garden ensures peaceful relaxation. The Amazonia section allows you to glimpse into the lives of alligators, anteaters, howler monkeys and toucans. One of the most popular routes is the Emu Runner Trail. The walk-through Australian exhibition welcomes visitors amongst kangaroos and emus. You can get amongst the ring-tailed lemurs themselves through the island kingdom. In the extensive aviaries you’ll see parrots, vultures, Asian and South American birds. The attractiveness is certainly not diminished by the commented feeding of sea lions and penguins.
In recent years, the zoo’s attendance has been around 600,000 people annually. It’s therefore the second most visited zoo in the Czech Republic. The grounds contain over 13,000 plant species, 104 species of rare trees and herbs. Besides the usual animal descriptions colour-coded by continents, visitors will find panels about unique plant community compositions, indigenous cultures, or famous Czech explorers throughout the grounds.
The castle belongs amongst the youngest aristocratic residences in Moravia. Neo-Renaissance mingles here with neo-Gothic, with Swiss style and with a certain dose of neo-Baroque. The castle’s original owners, the Counts of Seilern, had this luxurious residence built between 1887-1893. The exceptionally preserved interior will pleasantly surprise every visitor. The castle is surrounded by a beautiful park with rare trees, which flows seamlessly into the zoo’s forest environment. Some of the trees are up to 270 years old.
