The Complicated History of the Mentioned Gardens
Zoological gardens have a complicated, as well as a funny and long history. No one would expect that their history dates back to ancient times. As we read in various encyclopedic and historical sources, they were already known in China, Egypt, and Assyria as early as 2000 BC. Zoos were a key entertainment and, at the same time, an object of pride for kings in the Middle Ages.
A Menagerie… Just Like That
Of course, a zoological garden, or simply a menagerie, was also located in Poland. It was founded for his beloved wife Marysieńka by King Jan III Sobieski. As is not hard to guess, it was situated in Wilanów, in the so-called Morysin. Various species of exotic animals were kept in this garden.
For Profit
Very often, these menageries were organized mainly for profit, because of course tickets were sold to people who wanted to see them. Animals were usually displayed in these gardens until their owner had made a proper amount of money. In the nineteenth century, several private menageries were established in Warsaw. But once people had “seen enough” of them, they ceased to exist.
Gifts and Little Presents
As we all know, name-day and birthday gifts can be very different. Some of them are spot-on, while others, unfortunately, are misses. A certain bowling enthusiast and extraordinary connoisseur of strong beer from Poznań received an unusual birthday gift from his friends. The mentioned “bowler” was just finishing celebrating his fiftieth birthday with his friends when he was presented with a birthday gift of… livestock… The birthday boy’s friends agreed that each of them would give him some animal that they happened to encounter on the streets of Poznań. In this way, the birthday boy received as a birthday gift: a pig, a ram, a goat, a cat, a rabbit, a squirrel, a goose, a duck, a hen, a peacock, as well as a trained monkey and a bear, which were bought from traveling Roma in a wagon. Initially, he did not know what to do with it all, but after a moment he decided to make Poznań’s first “mini zoo” in his little garden.
Money for Viewing
He charged visitors a small amount of money, which his wife used to buy provisions for preparing everyday dinners. Aunt Tekla, who lived with them, dressed the monkeys in her old dresses, which attracted even more people willing to see this extraordinary menagerie. Once, a concert by the ladies of the charity circle took place in this garden; everyone said that the monkeys in aunt’s dresses looked a hundred times better than the aforementioned singing women. Aunt Tekla dressed the pigs in hats several times, and this fact gathered a multitude of people hungry for entertainment in this place. But when the wife of the owner of the mentioned zoo wanted to replace the furniture in her home’s dining room, which involved spending a considerable amount of money, the zoo owner organized a parade with his animals, which were of course dressed in Aunt Tekla’s wardrobe. People reportedly said they would gladly pay much more for tickets to this parade just to see the pigs wearing the unwashed bloomers of the aforementioned aunt this time.
