Next to it are the Municipal Zoological and Botanical Gardens, opened in August 1866 under the management of the noted scientist János Xantus. Its buildings were erected to the design of well-known architects at the turn of the century. The rich collection of animals are kept, as far as possible, in their natural environment and reared according to the most modern scientific principles.
Beside the Zoo we find the large modern building of the Municipal Circus, completed in I970. Next to it is the Amusement Park (Vidám Park), popular with the young people of Budapest and foreign visitors alike for its varied entertainments, which includes a scenic railway, a game-room, etc. There is also a small Amusement Park for children.