Artis, Amsterdam

Artis is Amsterdam’s zoo and botanical garden, and it is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands still operating. It also brings together an aquarium, a planetarium, an arboretum, Micropia, and the Groote Museum, so this is a broad place for encountering living nature, scientific collections, and history. Look toward the entrance on Plantage Kerklaan: the name Artis comes from the three words placed above the zoo’s gates—Natura, Artis, and Magistra—which together form Natura Artis Magistra, meaning that nature teaches art.

The institution began in 1838, created by three Amsterdam enthusiasts: Gerard Westerman, J.W. Werlemann, and J.J. Wijsmuller.

Its grounds contain 27 historic buildings, bridges, and ponds, with many still serving as animal enclosures. The aquarium building dates from 1882, while the library goes back to 1867. A striking chapter in Artis’s history concerns the quagga: its final captive animal died here on 12 August 1883, but that was understood only years later, because every zebra had been called a quagga. Artis is still a zoo, but its setting carries the memory of collecting, research, and changing ideas about nature.