Regenwaldhaus

Opened in 2002 for the 250th anniversary of Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the world's oldest zoo still in operation, the Regenwaldhaus recreates under glass a Southeast Asian rainforest mountain slope, kept permanently above 25°C and 80% humidity. It should not be confused with the neighboring Palmenhaus, a 19th-century imperial building that belongs to the Schönbrunn gardens rather than the zoo. For more than twenty years, Batagur turtles, small-clawed otters, fruit bats, pythons and Fiji iguanas shared its warm, humid atmosphere. After two decades in operation, the building has been closed for a thorough reconstruction and is due to reopen in 2026 with a new nocturnal exhibit devoted to fruit bats and pangolins, while retaining its role as a tropical greenhouse. The Regenwaldhaus thus illustrates the ongoing reinvention of historic zoological glasshouses.