History of the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden
The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is one of the oldest zoos in the world and the earliest to open in Hungary. It was founded in 1864, and after the designation, fencing, landscaping, the construction of the first animal houses, and the acquisition of the first animals, it opened to the public in 1866.
However, keeping wild animals and exotic animals from distant lands didn’t begin in Hungary at that time. Even during the medieval period, Hungarian rulers, including Louis I and Matthias Corvinus, had lions and leopards. In fact, it is recorded that in 1189, when the crusading armies led by Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, passed through Hungary on their way to the Holy Land, King Béla III presented the emperor with camels. During the Middle Ages and after the Turkish occupation, many rulers, nobles, and high-ranking clergymen had game parks where they kept local wild species for hunting. However, these were not real zoos.
The idea of establishing a zoo in Budapest emerged as early as the mid-1820s. This was partly because the imperial menagerie at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna had existed for decades (at that time, Hungary was part of the Habsburg Empire), and in the early decades of the 19th century, zoos were being established in many major European cities (for example, the London Zoo opened in 1828). The idea was enthusiastically received, but the political turmoil of the time was not favourable for establishing the Zoo. As a result, the issue of creating Hungary’s first zoo only resurfaced in the late 1850s. The Zoo’s foundation is primarily attributed to four “founding fathers,” the most famous of whom is János Xántus. The renowned zoologist, ethnographer, traveller, and soldier is also known for being the inspiration for the character Old Shatterhand, created by the German author Karl May in his Western novels.
From its inception, the Zoo was intended to play a cultural, educational, and scientific role, but the process of urbanization was not yet advanced enough for the state or the city to support these public goals. As a result, the Zoo was established by a private company established by the “founding fathers”. Most of the first animal houses were built based on the designs of Antal Szkalnitzky and Henrik Koch Jr., the walkways and layout of the park were designed by Ferenc Reitter, and the horticultural work was overseen by Ármin Petz. The first director of the Zoo, while it was still under construction, was Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger, who resigned shortly after taking the position, and János Xántus, one of the “founding fathers”, took over the directorship.
The Zoo opened its doors to the public at noon on Thursday, 9 August 1866. Visitors could admire approximately six hundred individuals from around one hundred different species, including parrots, emus, small monkeys, lemurs, kangaroos, camels, and many other animals. The most popular animal was Kristóf, the brown bear. The first giraffe arrived two years later, in 1868: it was donated by Emperor Franz Joseph at the request of Queen Elisabeth, popularly known as “Sissy”, who was highly beloved in Hungary. Lions and elephants were added to the Zoo’s collection in the 1870s.
The first years and decades of the Zoo’s history were, in a sense, a period of experimentation. It soon became apparent that the founders’ original intention—presenting animals and plants and providing education—did not generate enough income to ensure the Zoo’s long-term survival. Therefore, Károly Serák, appointed director of the Zoo in 1873, expanded the Zoo’s program with additional attractions that would generate great public interest. For example, tightrope walkers, fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, and various other performances were also introduced to the Zoo.
During these times, various ethnographic performances were also frequently featured at the Zoo. Exotic people from distant lands came with their domestic animals and tents, showcasing their dances, celebrations, and everyday lives. Among others, William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, brought his Wild West show, and groups of Lapps, Samoyeds, Sioux, Sinhalese, and Dahomeyans also performed at the Zoo. From today’s perspective, it may seem strange that people were also exhibited in zoos of that era, but at the time, there was no television, and this was the most interesting way to learn about the cultures of distant lands. Zoos became the primary venues for such live ethnographic performances in Europe because the first such shows were organized with the help of Lapps who accompanied reindeer brought from Lapland to European zoos. At our Zoo, moreover, the people from distant, exotic countries were always regarded as equal partners and guests, which, unfortunately, could not always be said in the case of colonial countries at that time.
For the millennium celebration of the thousand-year anniversary of the Hungarian conquest, which was commemorated in 1896 by all Hungarians, the main venue for the events was Városliget (Budapest’s City Park). Since the Zoo is also located here, there was, of course, a great deal of preparation. Many animals previously unseen arrived in the preceding years: in 1893, the Zoo’s first hippopotamus, named Jónás, and in 1894, a Sumatran rhinoceros. The keeping of hippos has been continuous at our Zoo since 1893, meaning that for more than 130 years, there has always been at least one hippo here, a feat that no other zoo in the world can claim.
After the millennium celebrations in 1896, difficult times came for the Zoo, to the point that the company operating the Zoo went bankrupt in 1907. However, the Zoo had already won the hearts of the public, and both the state and the City Council recognized its educational and scientific importance. Therefore, Gyula Andrássy Jr., the Minister of the Interior, asked the leaders of Budapest to take over the operation of the Zoo. Moreover, it was not only decided that the City Council would take over, but also that a grand-scale investment would create an entirely new Zoo on the old site.
The professional director of the Zoo’s renewal was the excellent zoologist Adolf Lendl, who was ahead of his time in many respects by half a century. As early as the first years of the 20th century, he believed that the Zoo should present a broad cross-section of biodiversity, meaning not only the most popular mammals and birds but also other important groups of vertebrates and even invertebrates. This concept was extended to include the plant world, and from this point on, the Zoo also became a botanical park—not just a beautifully landscaped area, but a place of botanical significance. Lendl also articulated the view that zoos should not only present exotic animals from distant lands but also domestic and farm animals. After all, more and more people were living in cities, and for them, these animals were becoming increasingly “exotic”. Moreover, zoos should also take on the task of preserving old and endangered domestic animal breeds.
During the major renovation from 1909 to 1912, the Zoo was temporarily closed. It was during this time that most of the Zoo’s existing historic buildings were constructed, including the Main Gate, the Elephant House, the Palm House, the artificial rocks, and several other structures. Most of the buildings were designed by Károly Kós and Dezső Zrumeczky, along with Kornél Neuschloss and Gyula Végh. The arrangement of the animals within the Zoo was based on taxonomy, meaning that related species, or species thought to be related at the time, were placed next to each other. As part of the renovation, Hungary’s first public aquarium was also completed, where visitors could see not only freshwater but also marine animals.
The completely revitalized Zoo reopened on 20 May 1912, and thanks to the ambitious investment, it became one of the most modern zoos in Europe.
In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, difficult times returned to the Zoo. There were problems obtaining food for the animals, especially marine fish and tropical fruits, which had to be imported. The animal keepers were called to serve in the military, and their wives and children took over their duties. Despite the many difficulties, the Zoo remained operational throughout the war and was open to the public.
In the 1920s, one of the most important developments was the launch of the first program aimed at protecting an endangered species. By the end of World War I, the European bison was nearly extinct. However, a few living specimens remained in zoos, including in Budapest. At the initiative of Kurt Priemel, the director of the Frankfurt Zoo, the International Society for Bison Protection was founded, and the Budapest Zoo was among the first to join. Moreover, our Zoo hosted the Society’s third congress in 1927.
In 1929, Herbert Nadler, an internationally renowned hunting expert, became the director of the Zoo, and under his leadership, a modernisation program began: each year, an animal house or exhibit was renovated. This work continued until the early 1940s. It was under Nadler’s initiative that the African mixed-species enclosure was created, where African herbivores that coexisted well, such as antelopes and zebras, lived together in a shared space. During this period, the Mammal Department of the Zoo was led by Csaba Anghi, who began keeping studbook records of the animals and was one of the first in the world to address the issue of zoo animal nutrition.
World War II was one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Zoo. Supply shortages emerged as early as the beginning of the war, as did labour shortages, since most of the Zoo staff were conscripted into the military. From the fall of 1944, air raids and bombings began, causing severe damage to the Zoo, which was located near a strategic target, the railway marshalling yard. The greatest destruction, however, occurred during the Siege of Budapest, where opposing forces fought street by street. By the time the front passed over the Zoo at the end of winter, only two dozen of the original 2,500 animals had survived, and most of the buildings were reduced to rubble.
After the war, life slowly began to recover. The Zoo reopened as early as 1 May 1945, but the number of exhibited animals was less than one hundred. It was difficult to provide food for them, and even the Zoo’s Park was ploughed and used to grow fodder plants. Due to the scarcity of animals, the Zoo’s grounds were sometimes used for other events, from exhibitions to political rallies. The first significant acquisitions of animals only became possible in the late 1940s.
The politics that infiltrated the Zoo also posed challenges. The Stalinist regime of the time regarded the Zoo not as a professional institution but as a political issue, and the communist party members appointed a shoemaker as its director. This, of course, did not benefit the professional work of the Zoo. Fortunately, there were many good professionals among the Zoo’s middle managers, such as László Szombath, Lóránt Bástyai, and József Somogyi.
In March 1956, a professional finally took over as director, Csaba Anghi, who had previously worked at the Zoo in the 1930s as the head of the Mammal Department. Under Anghi’s leadership, the last of the war damage was repaired, and a development program was initiated to modernize the Zoo in time for its 100th anniversary in 1966. During this period, the Zoo’s educational and outreach activities also developed significantly.
In the years following the centenary, and in fact until the early 1990s, it was difficult to continue developing the Zoo. In the countries of Eastern Europe, beyond the Iron Curtain, zoos had far fewer opportunities than in the western part of the continent. Moreover, the leaders of Hungary’s cultural and scientific life did not attach as much importance to zoos as, for example, in the former East Germany or Czechoslovakia. Meanwhile, the buildings, most of which were constructed in 1912, were increasingly deteriorating and becoming obsolete. Therefore, a significant challenge awaited Miklós Persányi, who was appointed as the director of the Zoo in 1994.
The comprehensive reconstruction of the Zoo began in the mid-1990s. The essence of this was to restore the old animal houses, which by then were under monument protection, to their original beauty while also modernizing the animal enclosures to meet contemporary animal welfare standards. Of course, not only the facilities were renewed, but also almost all services of the Zoo, from public programs to educational and outreach activities, all the way to conservation efforts.
In recent years, the biggest challenge has been addressing the spatial constraints of the Zoo. Over time, portions of the original 18-hectare (44.5-acre) area designated for the Zoo in 1864 were repeatedly taken away for other purposes, such as for a circus, amusement park, or restaurant, reducing the Zoo’s area to just 10.8 hectares (26.7 acres) by the 1950s, and it remained unchanged for more than half a century. However, in 2014, after the neighbouring old amusement park (Vidámpark) was closed, its land was given to (or rather returned to) the Zoo, finally providing an opportunity to solve the issue of space constraints. It was decided that a grand-scale exhibit, the Biodome, would be constructed on the new land. The work began, and in fact, the construction was completed in 2020, but the facility is still awaiting its final completion.
However, the old part of the Zoo continues to operate without disruption. Many beautiful historic buildings remind visitors of the rich past, with their unique atmosphere evoking the peaceful mood of the early 20th century. But it’s not just the architectural and cultural heritage that makes a visit to the Zoo worthwhile—there is also the vast array of animals and plants to see. Adolf Lendl’s concept that it’s worth presenting the broadest possible cross-section of biodiversity to the public is more relevant today than ever. Thus, our Zoo today is home to 650 different animal species, from mammals to invertebrates. This is considered a rich and varied collection even by international standards, and the botanical collection is even more diverse.
Throughout the history of our Zoo, we have achieved many important professional milestones. In 1868, the first giraffe in the world was born at the Budapest Zoo, whose mother was also born in a zoo. In the 1930s, the Budapest Zoo was among the first in the world to successfully breed polar bears and Asiatic black bears. In 2007, the first rhinoceros in the world conceived through artificial insemination was born at our Zoo. In recent years, we have achieved significant successes, particularly in breeding wombats and spiny anteaters (echidnas). Our professional successes also extend to conservation efforts, as we have been actively involved in coordinated breeding programs for endangered species in zoos since the 1980s and have participated in many other conservation initiatives. In addition, we have been involved in wildlife rescue for decades.
In the more than 150 years since the Zoo opened, our institution has become Hungary’s most-visited cultural institution, attracting over one million visitors annually. Over the years, many famous figures from different eras have visited us. Queen Elisabeth, also known as “Sissy”, was particularly fond of our Zoo, and we have also hosted many renowned researchers in the field of biology, from Nobel laureate Konrad Lorenz to Joy Adamson. We have also welcomed several international film stars to our Zoo, including Richard Burton, Bruce Willis, Henry Cavill, and Luke Evans.
Today, our Zoo is one of the leading zoos in the world and an important member of the global network of zoos. It is an accredited member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and also an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Alongside maintaining the high standards of modern professional work, we also place great importance on preserving and nurturing our historical heritage.
