Nordens Ark

Story

Nordens Ark is a zoo located on the 383ha Åby Manor in Bohuslän, Sweden. Nordens Ark was opened in 1989 and is operated by the Nordens Ark Foundation . Nordens Ark is on the west coast of Sweden, not far from the border with Norway. Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, was appointed as Nordens Ark Supreme Protector in 1989.Nordens Ark has been a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria since 1992 and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1994.Nordens Ark is open to visitors every day of the year and receives around 100,000 visitors per annum.HistoryHistoric letters show that King Håkon of Norway lived at Åby Manor in 1307, establishing that the manor is at least that old and making it one of Bohuslän’s oldest estates. In 1661, Margareta Hvitfeldt purchased the property, consisting of some 90 farms and cottages. After her death in 1683, the property was managed until 1975 by the scholarship fund that inherited her wealth. The Agricultural Society in Gothenburg and Bohus County purchased the property at this time, and held it until 1996. The dwelling house at the manor was built in 1729, and parts of the 60m barn, the largest timbered structure in Bohuslän, are believed to date back to the 17th century.The Bohus Breeding Center Foundation (Stiftelsen Bohus Avelscentrum) was founded on 8 March 1988 and Nordens Ark was inaugurated by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on 14 June 1989. In 1996 the foundation purchased Åby Manor from Aby manor from the Agricultural Society in Gothenburg and Bohus County. In 1997, the name of the foundation was changed to the current Nordens Ark Foundation (Stiftelsen Nordens Ark), and in 1999 Nordens Ark created The Farm and opened to the public.