Founded in 1860, the Cologne zoo in the heart of the city houses a vibrant collection of animals and zoo-architecture: a 19th-century menagerie, Moorish-style elephant house, birdhouse that evokes a Russian basilica and ape island to the tune of Hagenbeck. Also note the more humane conditions: the big-cat enclosure is without bars, and the Cologne elephants supposedly have more space than any others north of the Alps.

koelnerzoo.de