Amsterdam zoo official Latin name is Natura Artis Magistra, which means "nature - a teacher of art." In common parlance referred to simply as the zoo Artis. Over the three entrances to the zoo is written one word of the Latin name, but most people use a central, above which is written Artis - so the visitors decided that the zoo is called.

Artis - it's not just a zoo, as we used to understand it - there is also a planetarium, an aquarium, a botanical garden and a collection of art objects. This is one of the oldest zoos in continental Europe and the oldest in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1838 and was opened to the public only since 1851, in September. Since 1920, the zoo is open to visitors all year round.

At the zoo is located 27 historic buildings. Aquarium was built in 1882, the library - in 1867. The building, which now contains the Wolves (former hotel) and the red ibises, existed on this spot even before the zoo was founded. The library Artis assembled an excellent collection of books on the history of zoology and botany, as are the libraries of the Zoo, the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Botanical Garden.

The zoo contains more than 700 species of animals, many of which are rare and endangered. One of its main tasks the zoo sees in the preservation and reproduction of endangered species. Making great efforts to produce offspring of these species. Zoo participates in many international programs and cooperates with other zoos around the world.