Natura Artis Magistra — Latin for “Nature is the teacher of art”, and known to everyone simply as Artis — opened in Amsterdam in 1838. It is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and the fifth-oldest zoo in the world still operating, founded by a zoological society whose grounds in the leafy Plantage district were then on the edge of the city.
Today the city has grown around it, making Artis a rare thing: a fully fledged royal zoo, botanical garden and museum complex in the centre of a European capital. It sits proudly among the oldest zoos in the world, and more than 1.2 million people visited in 2024.
Key Stats
| Opened | 1838 |
| Location | Plantage district, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Species | About 900 |
| Annual visitors | 1,269,538 (2024) |
A 19th-Century Time Capsule
Artis contains 27 historic buildings, and walking its grounds feels like touring a Victorian vision of the natural world. The aquarium building of 1882 — constructed on land leased from the city on the condition that only a museum could ever stand there — still anchors the site, and part of the zoo’s art collection is displayed inside it.
The complex also includes a planetarium, an arboretum, the Groote Museum and Micropia, a one-of-a-kind museum devoted entirely to microbes. The Artis Library, on the zoo’s grounds, is now part of the University of Amsterdam.
Animals in the Heart of Amsterdam
Around 900 species live at Artis, from lions and elephants to the flamingos whose pond is one of the zoo’s most photographed corners. Because the zoo doubles as a botanical garden, its enclosures are threaded through mature trees and heritage architecture rather than modern show-buildings — a deliberate preservation of its 19th-century character.
Artis is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and participates in international breeding programmes, balancing its historic setting with a modern conservation mission.
Explore more: Explore more zoos and aquariums.
Artis FAQs
What does Artis stand for?
Artis is short for Natura Artis Magistra, Latin for “Nature is the teacher of art” — the name of the zoological society that founded the zoo in 1838.
Is Artis the oldest zoo in the Netherlands?
Yes. Founded in 1838, Artis is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands and the fifth-oldest zoo in the world that is still operating.
What else is there at Artis besides the zoo?
The grounds include an aquarium (1882), a planetarium, an arboretum, the Groote Museum and Micropia, the world’s first museum dedicated to microbes.
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Photo: James Rosen from St. Louis / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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