It is one of the most attractive places of leisure and education found on the Polish seacoast, and each year it is visited by great numbers of people, both from the Tri-City and elsewhere. This area was chosen for its excellent topographical conditions and its mild valley micro-climate, thanks to which, from the end of the 19^th Century to 1945, there was a spa here for treating people with upper respiratory tract illnesses and with rheumatism. The main building and the utility buildings, as well as the old water mill, along with the mill’s manor-house from the first half of the 19^th Century were adapted for the needs of the zoological garden. The official opening of the Gdańsk Zoo took place on 1 May 1954.