ARTIS

Description

Essentials about Artis in brief

Artis is the zoological garden of Amsterdam. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and one of the oldest zoos in Europe. With more than 8,000 animals from about 800 species, Artis is not only a very diverse zoo, but also houses a zoological and a geological museum, a planetarium, an aquarium and an insectarium. And what’s more, since 2014 Artis has been home to a world first, Micropia, the world’s first zoo for bacteria and viruses.

The grounds of Artis

Artis is certainly also one of the most beautiful zoos in Europe. In the garden of the zoo there are a variety of plants, including a large stock of old trees. In addition, 27 historical buildings – some monumental and some exotic – from the 19th century are still preserved.

The history of Artis

The zoo, founded in 1838, is actually called “Natura Artis Magistra” (Latin for “Nature is the teacher of art”). However, the name “Artis” quickly became established. The background to this is that the zoo has three entrances, each headed with the words “Natura”, “Artis” and “Magistra”. Since only the middle entrance was open most of the time, most visitors thought the zoo was just called “Artis.”

Gerard Westerman, one of the three founders of the zoo, saw Artis as the realization of the spirit of the Enlightenment. Therefore, from the beginning, the collection included not only live animals and plants, but also a literary, zoological, geological and botanical collection. Initially, the park was open only to members. However, from 1920 Artis was also opened to the public all year round.