As of: March 16, 2024, 5:00 p.m
By: Ines Alms
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Colorful exotic butterflies are a delight for the senses.
And who knows, maybe one will land on the back of your hand in one of the butterfly gardens?
Native butterflies have a lot to offer.
But only in so-called butterfly gardens or butterfly houses in Germany do you have the chance to discover and marvel at living tropical butterflies.
The latter is definitely guaranteed, because the animals have many superlatives to offer - from the splendor of their colors to their sometimes oversized appearance to the simply huge diversity of species.
There are a large number of such attractions worth seeing all over Germany and some of them have a lot to show:
The largest butterfly farm in Germany is on the island of Usedom
The curly jay (Graphium agamemnon) is one of around 60 species at the Trassenheide butterfly farm.
© VIADATA/Imago
It is an island, yes, but it is not located in the Indian Ocean or the Caribbean Sea, but in the Baltic Sea - on the island of Usedom you will nevertheless find butterflies that will take you on a very long journey.
The Trassenheide butterfly farm is considered the largest of its kind in Germany: Depending on the season, up to 2,000 tropical specimens and up to 60 different species flutter around in an area of around 5,000 square meters.
You can find even more exciting garden topics in the regular newsletter from our partner 24garten.de.
The second largest butterfly house: On the island of Mainau
Another island, in the other corner of Germany: In Baden-Württemberg, on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance, around 1,000 animals live on an area of 1,000 square meters.
Up to 120 different species and subspecies of butterflies from the tropical regions of South and Central America, Africa and Asia fly from food plant to food plant in the butterfly house.
And all around, the famous flower island beckons with a dahlia garden, the arboretum and an avenue of primeval sequoia trees.
The largest butterfly house in North Rhine-Westphalia in Hamm
The Maximilian Park in Hamm is home to up to 80 tropical butterfly species and subspecies on 450 square kilometers in the middle of jungle plants and ponds.
In autumn you can experience the dance of the banana butterflies up close - since they perform this at dusk, the butterfly house is also open in the evening.
And while you're in the area, you could also visit the botanical garden in Bochum and walk through primeval forests.
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Over 140 species of butterflies in the Wittenberg Butterfly Park
In Saxony-Anhalt in the Lutherstadt Wittenberg there is a butterfly park that presents 700 to 750 butterflies and 140 different species of butterflies throughout the year.
The majority of the animals are bred here ourselves.
It's worth visiting at almost any time of day, because the butterflies have a relatively regular daily routine: in the morning you can watch the animals hatch in the hatching display case or find them at the feeding stations.
In the afternoon you tend to see them on “bridal show” – during the nuptial flight and mating.
One of the largest butterflies in the world lives in Pfronten
If you fly at night, you don't have to glow colorfully.
The size of the atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is impressive.
© blickwinkel/Imago
The Allgäu butterfly adventure world is rather small, but the butterfly house is home to a huge rarity: with a wingspan of up to 30 centimeters, the atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is one of the largest butterflies in the world.
Not every zoo can call this special species of moth their own.
It is in equal and colorful company with other sights such as the comet butterfly from Madagascar and the passion fruit butterfly.
Would you like to go on a longer trip?
For example, near one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe, there is also a butterfly house in Vienna on the edge of the Burggarten, which was already a place of peace and relaxation in the emperor's time.