Wilhelma, Zoo and botanical garden in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany
Wilhelma is a zoo and botanical garden in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, laid out on about 30 hectares with roughly 11,500 animals of some 1,200 species and around 8,500 plant species. Its buildings were erected between 1846 and 1866 in Moorish Revival style echoing the Alhambra: a long low complex of pale walls and reddish-brown roofs, a central pavilion with a rounded arch entrance, wings ending in small domes, and glasshouse wings. A rectangular pool lies below the central building.
King Wilhelm I of Württemberg commissioned the grounds in 1842 as a royal bathhouse with Moorish pavilions and gardens. After World War II the site gradually transformed into a public zoo and botanical garden open to visitors.
The name comes from King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, who had the complex built from 1842 as a bathhouse and summer residence in Moorish Revival style echoing the Alhambra. It was inaugurated on 30 September 1846, during the wedding celebrations of Crown Prince Karl and Olga Nikolaevna of Russia. The Moorish Garden with its Great Basin forms the heart of the complex; its fountains were installed in 1847/1848.
The grounds open every day at 8:15 AM and close between 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM depending on the season. The pathways work for strollers and wheelchairs, though some sections have slopes and it helps to plan time for breaks.
The garden holds the largest magnolia collection in Europe, which blooms in spring with shades of pink and white. A pond displays Victoria water lilies whose leaves grow strong enough to support the weight of a child.
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