Schmetterlingshaus im Elbauenpark, Butterfly house and zoo in Elbauenpark, Germany.

The Schmetterlingshaus im Elbauenpark is a butterfly zoo on the north side of the park in Magdeburg. Its 360 m² interior holds 200 to 300 butterflies of about 25 species, including the blue morpho, Indian leaf and atlas moth, plus stick insects, Madagascar day geckos, Chinese painted quails and diamond doves. A small stream crossed by a wooden bridge runs among tropical plants.

The butterfly house opened in August 2000, after the park had hosted the Bundesgartenschau in 1999; it did not yet exist at that exhibition. The park management added it in response to visitor numbers falling sharply once the show ended. The operator of the alaris butterfly park in Wittenberg protested unsuccessfully against the publicly subsidised competitor.

The house is stocked with pupae from a British farm, though some butterflies are bred on site and hatch in a display case visitors can watch. Species kept include the blue morpho, the Indian leaf butterfly, the Asian comet moth, the atlas moth and the emerald swallowtail. Ghost stick insects, Madagascar day geckos, Chinese painted quail and diamond doves share the room.

The exhibition room holds a maximum of 50 visitors at once, so entry may be delayed at busy times. Inside, the climate is tropical at 28 to 29 degrees Celsius with 90 percent humidity. There is no separate admission fee beyond the Elbauenpark entrance ticket.

A lesser-known detail is that certain butterfly species emerge directly from their cocoons and dry their wings here. This reveals the natural process that many visitors would otherwise never witness.