What is “Artis” in Amsterdam?
Bankjes maken van olifantenpoep in Artis
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
Artis is the Netherlands' oldest zoo and one of Amsterdam’s defining cultural institutions. Founded in 1838 by Natura Artis Magistra society members (the name means “Nature is the Teacher of the Arts”), Artis sits in central Amsterdam between Plantage Middenlaan and the Hortus Botanicus. The zoo combines 19th-century pavilions, a planetarium, an aquarium, a micropia (the world’s only microbe museum), and full botanical gardens. Generations of Dutch families have visited, and Artis sits alongside Madurodam and NEMO as one of the country’s three foundational kid-friendly attractions. Recent campaigns turn elephant manure into compost, garden mulch, and now public benches.
In this clip, Het Klokhuis announces: “Vanaf nu kan je in Artis namelijk zitten op een bankje gemaakt van de poep van deze jongens.”
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Amsterdam tourism and family-attraction content (Artis, I amsterdam, Holland.com)
- ▸In Dutch zoo and conservation writing (Stichting AAP, WWF Nederland, Trouw)
- ▸In Dutch cultural-heritage and architecture writing (Het Parool, De Volkskrant, NRC)
- ▸In Dutch primary-school nature content (Het Klokhuis, Schooltv, NEMO Kennislink)