There are hundreds of zoos, wildlife parks, aquaria, bird parks, animal reserves, etc. in Europe. A small country like Austria already has about 50 of them. Germany has no less than 414 registered zoos (more than in the USA!). Germany has about 250 more wildlife parks, aquaria and bird parks in addition to actual zoological gardens. The world's biggest zoo is also in Germany (Zoologischer Garten Berlin). Here is a list of the most famous zoos Europe-wide, listed by opening date:
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna, Austria
- Opening date :1752 (oldest in the world)
- Number of species : 520
- Number of animals : 6,000
La ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, Paris, France
- Opening date : 1795
- Number of species : about 170
- Number of animals : 600
London Zoo, UK
- Opening date : 1828 (1847 to the public)
- Number of species : 400
- Number of animals : over 14,000
Dublin Zoo, Ireland
- Opening date : 1830
- Number of species : 100
- Number of animals : 400
Bristol Zoo, England
- Opening date : 1836 (closed in 2022)
- Number of species : 420
- Number of animals : 7,000 (at its peak)
Artis Zoo, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Opening date : 1838
- Number of species : about 800
- Number of animals : 6,000
Antwerp Zoo, Belgium
- Opening date : 1843
- Number of species : 950
- Number of animals : 7,000
Zoologischer Garten Berlin, Germany
- Opening date : 1844
- Number of species : about 1,000
- Number of animals : 19,000
Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart, Germany
- Opening date : 1850
- Number of species : 1,200
- Number of animals : 11,000
Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark
- Opening date : 1859
- Number of species : 264
- Number of animals : babout 4,000
Jardin d'Acclimatation, Paris, France
- Opening date : 1860
- Number of species : 150
- Number of animals : 450
Sofia Zoo, Bulgaria
- Opening date : 1888
- Number of species : 310
- Number of animals : 2,500
Helsinki Zoo, Korkeasaari Island, Finland
- Opening date : 1889
- Number of species : 180
- Number of animals : 2,400
Barcelona Zoo, Spain
- Opening date : 1892
- Number of species : 300
- Number of animals : 2,000
Tierpark Hellabrunn, Munich, Germany
- Opening date : 1905
- Number of species : 740
- Number of animals : 18,500
Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland
- Opening date : 1913
- Number of species : 170
- Number of animals : 3,200
Zürich Zoologischer Garten, Switzerland
- Opening date : 1929
- Number of species : 350
- Number of animals : 6,500
Prague Zoo, Czech Republic
- Opening date : 1931
- Number of species : 685
- Number of animals : 5,500
Zoo Opole, Poland
- Opening date : 1936
- Number of species : 290
- Number of animals : 1,500
Tallinn Zoo, Estonia
- Opening date : 1939
- Number of species : 350
- Number of animals : 7,500
Borås Djurparks, Sweden
- Opening date : 1962
- Number of species : 80
- Number of animals : 500
Debrecen Zoo & Amusement Park, Hungary
- Opening date: 1958
- Number of species: 200
- Number of animals: 900
Colchester Zoo, England
- Opening date : 1963
- Number of species : 150
- Number of animals : 10,000
Palmyre Zoo, France
- Opening date : 1967
- Number of species : 115
- Number of animals : 1,600
Blackpool Zoo, England
- Opening date : 1972
- Number of species : 400
- Number of animals : 1,500
Miskolc Zoo, Hungary
- Opening date : 1983
- Number of species : 300
- Number of animals : 700
Pairi Daiza, Belgium
- Opening date : 1994
- Number of species : 800
- Number of animals : 7,500
From the available data in this list, the largest zoos in terms of species are: Stuttgart (1,200), Berlin (1,000), Antwerp (950), Amsterdam and Pairi Daiza (both 800), Tierpark Hellabrunn (740), then Prague (685).
The most populous are: Berlin (19,000), Hellabrunn in Munich (18,500), London (14,000), Stuttgart (11,000), Munich (7,700), Pairi Daiza and Tallinn Zoo (both 7,500) and Antwerp (7,000).
