Knie's Kinderzoo

Knies Kinderzoo is a children's zoo in Rapperswil on Lake Zurich, owned and operated by Gebrüder Knie AG, the family behind Switzerland's long-running Circus Knie. Founded in 1962, the grounds also serve as the circus's winter quarters, giving the zoo an unusual dual identity. In earlier decades, some of the zoo's animals would travel with the circus on its annual Swiss tour — a rare case of a stationary zoo feeding directly into a touring big top. Today children can get close to elephants, ponies, camels, and other animals in hands-on enclosures. It remains a go-to family destination in the greater Zurich region, combining animal encounters with a living piece of Swiss circus heritage.