Aquarium – ZOO Orientarium Łódź

Orientarium is the part of Łódź zoo dedicated to animals of Southeast Asia, featuring an underwater tunnel through which visitors walk beneath sharks. It opened on 29 April 2022 and was the largest investment in the history of Łódź zoological garden. A ticket to the zoo includes entry to the Orientarium building, so both places are visited at the same time.

Four zones through which the route passes

The visit leads in turn through the elephant house, temple zone, ocean zone and jungle zone.

In the elephant house there is a pool for Indian elephants with an observation window through which animals can be seen underwater. The temple zone features lion macaques, Malayan tapirs and Oriental palm civets. In the jungle zone live gharials, Sumatran orang-utans, sun bears and binturongs. Four species shown in Łódź have no equivalent in other Polish zoos: amazonian river dolphins, Sumatran orang-utans, gharials and Asian wild dogs.

Tunnel beneath three million litres of water

The ocean zone comprises seven tanks holding over 3 million litres of water and an acrylic tunnel 26 metres long.

The tunnel is approximately 2.4 metres high and is the longest structure of its kind in Poland. The tanks are home to over 1300 aquatic animals representing approximately 180 species, from sharks to coral reef fish. The building itself has 33 thousand square metres of usable floor space and three storeys, including one underground.

How Orientarium was built

Construction began in September 2018 and ended in September 2021, with opening taking place six months later.

The general contractor was Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Mostowych Mosty Łódź and the functional programme was developed by Wojciech Napierała Architektura studio. Originally opening was planned for 2020. The pavilion was built on the grounds of an operating zoo, so the Orientarium route flows seamlessly with the rest of the zoo.

Zoo older than most Łódź attractions

The zoological garden in Łódź was established in the second half of 1938 on a fragment of the former Puszcza Łódzka [Łódź Forest].

It occupies 16.64 hectares at ul. Konstantynowska, on the edge of Park na Zdrowiu. In 2022 it was home to approximately 3350 animals belonging to 554 species. The garden currently holds over 5071 individuals from over 625 species. Eight heated pavilions operate on the grounds, so a rainy day need not spoil a visit.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Konstantynowska 8/10, 94-303 Łódź.
• Getting there: entrance from ul. Konstantynowska, by Park im. Józefa Piłsudskiego on Zdrowiu.
• Hours: Orientarium building open 9:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:00, pavilions until 18:45, ticket office until 18:00. Hours change seasonally, check them before your visit on the zoo website.
• A zoo ticket includes entry to the Orientarium building.
• Rules: no dogs, no balloons, no flash photography, bicycles and scooters to be left before entry.
• What to expect: route largely under cover, considerable walking, good crowds at the tunnel and elephant house on fine days.