Zlín-Lešná Zoo

Zlín-Lešná Zoo shares its grounds with Lešná Castle (Zámek Lešná), a late nineteenth-century chateau that sits among the animal enclosures, so a day here combines a zoo with a historic country house and its landscaped park. On local signs it appears as Zoo Zlín-Lešná.

The zoo opened in 1948 on the former estate, a short distance outside the city of Zlín. Its enclosures are spread across wooded parkland and grouped by continent, so visitors move between areas devoted to animals from Africa, Asia, South America and Australia. The castle can be seen as part of the same outing.

With around half a million visitors a year, it is one of the most visited attractions in the Zlín region. The large site and the mix of animals, gardens and historic architecture make it well suited to families, and most people spend the better part of a day here.