At the Zoo: 150th Anniversary of the Leningrad Zoo

Peter and Paul Fortress, Neva Curtain Wall

The exhibition features pictorial and graphic works, photographs, posters and porcelain figures which show the history of the zoo.

The Zoo was opened in the city centre on the grounds of Alexandrovskiy Park in 1865. In the past 150 years of its existence the zoo evolved from a private menagerie to a serious scientific and educational centre. During this period the idea has been brought up many times to reconstruct or relocate the zoo. The exhibition displays projects for the Leningrad Zoo introduced at the architectural All-Union Competition in 1931, and modern project for its renewal, which has been already partially implemented.

Photographs from the museum collection and archives of the Leningrad Zoo illustrate different periods from the history of the zoo: the beginning of the 20^th century, when it was a private institution; the first decade after the revolution; the hard years of the siege of Leningrad, etc. Along with historic photographs visitors have a chance to see a gallery of portraits depicting the inhabitants of the zoo, created by contemporary photographers.

Without doubt the main figures of the exhibition are the animals themselves. Above all is the polar bear that became the symbol of the zoo (Leningrad Zoo was the first where polar bears began to breed in captivity). The first thing visitors see at the exhibition is the “polar bear parade” which consists of 24 porcelain figures made by the Leningrad Porcelain Factory (LFZ, now – Imperial Porcelain Factory) in 1970s-1980s.

 Animals and birds from the zoo often “posed” for artist of various art forms. For example, apart from polar bears, many other animals can be seen in porcelain animal series by LFZ of 1960s-1980s: a giraffe, a tiger, a leopard, a hippopotamus, an orangutan, a fox, a raccoon, a brown bear, an elk, a crocodile, a pelican, a seagull, a waxbird, a robin and many others.

Animals of the Leningrad Zoo are depicted in the paintings by Evgeniy Charushin – a renowned animal artist and many other artists.

A multimedia programme shows a set of home-produced films starring some animals from the Leningrad Zoo.

The exhibition tells about the zoo’s daily routine: about the people who take care of the animals and about animal hidings and diets.

Visitors to the exhibition will hear the stories of the Leningrad Zoo stars: the oldest zoo dweller hippopotamus Krasavitsa, elephant Betty who tragically died during the shelling of the besieged Leningrad. The exhibition also gives a chance to meet the contemporary popular figures, such as polar bears Uslada and Menshikov, goose Sergey, female wolf Ten’ [Shadow], snowy owls Freddie and Mirra, crocodile Totosha and many others.  

Admission fee: adults – 150 rubles; students – 80 rubles