According to the plans of our zoo, the Biodome will open in a little over two months, in mid-summer. More precisely, the central part of the 1.7-hectare building, covering almost 1 hectare, will be opened to the general public. In the central hall of the Biodome, visitors will find a four-season urban oasis independent of outside weather conditions. It will mainly be populated with exotic plants, but several animal species will also be presented, including hanuman langurs, which belong to the wider group related to macaques, critically endangered Bali mynas, and spur-thighed tortoises, which are considered the third largest terrestrial tortoise species.
In addition to the animals and plants, further surprises are being prepared for the summer opening, in line with our institution’s profile of experience-based natural science education. The exotic atmosphere of this unique community space will be completed by zoological and botanical exhibits placed on multiple levels, as well as a 14.5-meter-high waterfall.
The urban oasis in question is being created within the Biodome building, which was completed with an average technical readiness of 80% during the construction period between 2017 and 2020, now within a project with a net budget of 350 million forints. Of this amount, 300 million forints come from the zoo’s own operating revenue from last year, and 50 million forints were provided by our maintainer, the Budapest Metropolitan Municipality.
Work has been ongoing in the Biodome for months. In the 150 planting troughs previously created for plants, 276 cubic meters of foam glass drainage layer and 1,650 cubic meters of special growing medium are being placed. The total planting area is 2,950 square meters, where around 13,000 tropical and subtropical plants will thrive. Of these, 101 will be tree-sized plants taller than 5 meters. A green wall covering about 400 square meters is under construction, as well as 528 square meters of resin-based artificial rock decoration and 664 square meters of cement-concrete-based artificial rock decoration, along with 1,584 square meters of decorative painting.
Our Director General, Dr. Endre Sós, and the professional team of the zoo have aimed in recent years to offer experiences to an increasing number of visitors and to ensure that the facility also generates revenues comparable to its maintenance costs, in order to maintain the financial balance of the institution. In line with these efforts, many successful events have been held in the Biodome area over the past two years, including both indoor spaces and related outdoor exhibition areas. These included a Chinese lantern art festival, a light art exhibition, a photo exhibition, and a highly successful dinosaur exhibition with life-size moving prehistoric reconstructions. In addition, since August 2024, the outdoor enclosures of the Biodome have also been open to the public with animals on display.
Since December 2023, a total of 311,000 visitors have been interested in the Biodome’s previous, mostly temporary attractions, including both indoor and outdoor areas. The annual visitor number specifically linked to the Biodome has already been comparable to the total yearly attendance of a medium-sized zoo in Hungary.
