Tierpark Arche Warder

About the museum

The animal park was founded by the zoologist Jürgen Güntherschulze in the early 1990s on a site between two lakes near Warder. After the original operator went bankrupt, Greenpeace and the Umweltstiftung Greenpeace (Greenpeace Environmental Foundation) rescued the project: in 2003 the association Arche Warder – Zentrum für alte Haus- und Nutztierrassen (Center for Old Domestic and Farm Animal Breeds) was established, and in May 2004 the renovated park reopened.

Since 2007, the veterinarian and biologist Kai Frölich has headed Arche Warder. Under his leadership, conservation breeding, veterinary care, and educational work were reorganized, numerous enclosures were rebuilt or newly built, and a network of satellite stations was set up where additional animals are kept. In cooperation with the University of Hamburg, a Neolithic settlement was created that illustrates the connection between animal domestication and human cultural history. Today, more than 1,000 animals from around 90 mostly endangered breeds live on about 40 hectares, including Poitou donkeys, Angeln Saddleback pigs, and Girgentana goats.

The park gained a true museum section in spring 2023 with the DOMESTICANEUM visitor center, which is run by its own foundation. On about 300 square meters, an interactive exhibition spread over several rooms traces the shared history of humans and domestic animals – from the taming of the wolf in the Paleolithic, through the first livestock breeders and the ancient city of Uruk, to the loss of breed diversity and scenarios for the agriculture of the future. A cinema with films on individual species complements the tour.

Highlights

• DOMESTICANEUM: an interactive journey through the history of domestic animals
• More than 1,000 animals from around 90 rare domestic and farm animal breeds
• Reconstructed Neolithic settlement with animal pens
• Animal display barn with mother animals and their young
• Petting farm and piglet enclosure

Permanent exhibitions

• DOMESTICANEUM – Mensch und Haustier – Interactive exhibition on about 300 square meters about the shared history of humans and domestic and farm animals, from the Paleolithic to the “Farm of the Future.”
• Steinzeit-Siedlung – Reconstructed settlement from around 3200 BC with houses and pens in which primitive sheep breeds are kept.

Operated by

Arche Warder – Zentrum für alte Haus- und Nutztierrassen e.V.

Director

Prof. Dr. Dr. Kai Frölich

Visitors per year

approx. 115,229 (2024)

Admission & discounts

Admission includes the DOMESTICANEUM visitor center. Animal feed €3 at the ticket desk, handcart rental €4. With the GEOcard, two admissions for the price of one; special prices for guests of the Brahmsee campsite and animal sponsors.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The DOMESTICANEUM is step-free and accessible; the entrance area, animal display barn, petting farm, and restaurant are easily reached by wheelchair. Depending on the weather, some park paths (slopes, sand) can only be managed with a companion. Special guided tours for people with disabilities can be booked. Dogs on a leash are allowed.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area
• Kids’ birthday parties

Petting farm and piglet enclosure with direct animal contact, Spiel-Arche with straw fort, playgrounds, and balance rope; scavenger hunt sheets, a Stone Age settlement to join in, programs for daycare groups and school classes. Handcarts can be rented for a fee (reservation advisable). Strollers must be left in front of the DOMESTICANEUM. Children under 6 on the playgrounds only when accompanied by adults.

Getting there & parking

GPS address: Langwedeler Weg 11, 24646 Warder. It is about 9 km from Nortorf station – bringing a bicycle on the train is a good option.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Restaurant Farmküche with regional cuisine (Thu–Fri grill 11:30–17:00, Sat–Sun restaurant 11:30–18:00, daily snacks during Schleswig-Holstein school holidays); inner courtyard of the DOMESTICANEUM for coffee; farm shop; overnight huts and a vacation apartment.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

Available for rent: the Haus der Natur (up to approx. 100 people), a seminar room, the Farmküche restaurant (52 seats inside, 60 on the terrace), a tea house for small meetings, and a flex tent; catering by the Farmküche, finger food at the DOMESTICANEUM, can be combined with activities.

Plan your visit