
In her book, Diane Ackerman describes the damage to the zoo in grave detail, stating, 'The sky broke open and whistling fire hurtled down, cages exploded, moats rained upward, iron bars squealed. The animals here were the best, so they took over the zoo and confiscated it with the rest of the country. In researching The Zookeeper's Wife true story, we learned that the Nazis' September 1939 invasion of Poland and bombing of Warsaw left much of the zoo destroyed. The Nazi’s wanted the best of everything. Thankfully, they weren’t, and in 1965, Yad Vashem honored them as Righteous among the Nations. The zoo was the best zoo in Poland and in Europe. Available only by tour, visitors are taken through the main rooms- Jan Żabiński’s study, the drawing room where Antonina played Offenbach to warn her charges of approaching Nazi officers, who liked to use the zoo for hunting, and down into the basement, where some of the Jews they rescued were in hiding.Įssentially, the Żabińskis saved Jews in plain sight, for which they could have been killed had they been found out. The museum itself is as modest as the Żabińskis’ house.

Spend time in the historic Skaryszewski Park or at the zoo. During the years of German occupation in Poland, the Warsaw Zoo became a place of hiding for many Jews and other minorities from The Warsaw Ghetto with a. It initially covered an area of 12 hectares, which is not much considering the Zoo’s current area of 40 ha. It initially covered an area of 12 hectares, which is not much considering the Zoo’s current area of 40 ha.The City Zoological Garden in Warsaw was opened 90 years ago.

Take a stroll through the historic streets, pop into temples of various religions, find the shrines hidden in backyards and view original murals. The City Zoological Garden in Warsaw was opened 90 years ago. (You might be familiar with the story from the historical novel, The Zookeeper’s Wife.) Start your visit to Praga by going to the Praga Museum of Warsaw where you can learn about the history of the district. Warsaw Zoo Address: Ratuszowa 1/3, 03-461 Warszawa, Poland, Warsaw. From this position, he clandestinely offered his Jewish friends assistance, and eventually, shelter in the zoo’s cages. (Many of the animals themselves had been killed in the bombings, shot by Nazis for sport, or transported to Germany.)Īs a municipal employee, Żabiński was allowed to enter the Warsaw Ghetto, where he saw firsthand the horrors Warsaw’s Jews experienced. Four elephants, a family of seals and a lion were added to the current. Opened in 1928, Warsaw Zoo covers an area of 40 hectares and attracts some 500,000 visitors each year. If you wish to escape the urban jungle and see some exotic wildlife, then head to the Warsaw Zoo. The Żabińskis didn’t just care for the zoo animals–they also saved hundreds of Jews, in their own home and even in the animals’ cages. Ratuszowa 1/3, Praga (+48) 22 619 40 41. Located in a modest white house, the museum is actually in the former home of caretaker Jan Żabiński, and his wife Antonina.

History of that unique place was marked by the Second World War, when the Zoo suffered from war damages. Warsaw’s newest addition to its zoo isn’t another monkey cage or dolphin show. EN Warsaw Zoological Garden was established in 1928.
