Hellabrunn Zoo – “Munich will become Panda City!”
The pandas are coming! Fantastic that it's happening! The Bavarian Minister-President and the people of Munich are looking forward to 2028 and the new arrivals at Hellabrunn Zoo.
Bavaria will thus become the eighth panda location in the EU! Munich is getting black and white newcomers (Deutsch, English, Français, Italiano)
Munich. The Free State of Bavaria is building a panda enclosure in the Asia section of Hellabrunn Zoo. As the Bavarian State Chancellery announced, there will soon be two giant pandas at Hellabrunn Zoo. We are pleased to quote Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder: “Munich will become Panda City! Two giant pandas are coming to Bavaria, to Hellabrunn Zoo. This is a unique attraction and a major draw for visitors: Bavaria will thus become the eighth panda location in the EU. It is even unique in Europe that, with Berlin and now Munich, there are two pandas in one country. ...
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| SZ-Zeppelin über München, Platzhalter - Presse-Fotoarchiv: Helga Waess |
...There are only 19 zoos worldwide with 51 pandas outside of China. Pandas are simply adorable. Since my trip to Chengdu and Beijing in 2024, I have been a strong advocate for pandas in Bavaria. It's fantastic that it's working out! This will promote species conservation and the survival of this endangered species, create a major attraction, and strengthen the partnership between China and Bavaria.
Cooperation and partnership are more successful than confrontation. We rely on open dialogue. Today marks the culmination of Bavarian-Chinese diplomacy. As the Free State of Bavaria, we are enabling the construction of a panda enclosure in the Asia section of Hellabrunn Zoo. The zoo's current 18,000 animals of over 500 species will then have new neighbors in 2028.
Thank you to China and Ambassador Hongbo Deng, the City of Munich and Third Mayor Verena Dietl, and the zoo and its director, Rasem Baban. Today, Bavaria is not only white and blue, but also black and white."
(Quote from bayern.de: Newsletter of the Bavarian State Government - January 23, 2026)
As early as January 21, 2026, Minister-President Dr. Markus Söder, together with Munich's Third Mayor Verena Dietl, Munich's Third Mayor and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Hellabrunn Zoo, and Dr. h. c. Rasem Baban, Director of Hellabrunn Zoo, announced a groundbreaking new construction project in the Asia Geozone, which will be completed in 2028.