Gondwanaland

Inaugurated in 2011 after more than three years of construction, Gondwanaland is billed as Europe's largest tropical hall, designed by the firm Henchion Reuter Architekten, winner of an international competition. Its glass-and-steel structure, built on a plan inspired by the Reuleaux triangle, rises to about 36 meters and covers 16,500 m² of ground. Inside, more than 17,000 plants and nearly 300 animals recreate tropical forests of Asia and Africa, which visitors cross on foot, by canoe along an artificial river, or via suspended bridges, arriving at a reconstructed lake village. The project, hailed at its opening as one of Germany's major tourism investments of the moment, transformed Leipzig Zoo's image. Gondwanaland remains today one of the city's flagship attractions.