From foundation to 1945

Around 1864, previous military grounds were transferred into a garden, and by 1866 completed and named Trotzenburg. In 1898, the first fenced animals were introduced, as wild boar and different kind of deer. The next year was the official opening for the Hirschgarten an der Trotzenburg, and the first zookeeper, Carl Lange, was employed to take care of the different animals.^[3]

1945 to 1989

The air bombings during World War II on the city of Rostock were extremely heavy. All buildings and enclosures in Rostock Zoo were destroyed. In 1951, the garden architect, Arno Lehmann, started the renovation and rebuilding of the zoo. Many people from the town volunteered in this work, with direct manual work, as well as with their support. The zoo was re-opened for the public in 1952, was enlarged in 1956, and renamed and refounded 16 January 1956 as Zoologischen Garten Rostocks

In 1960, the two first Asian elephants arrived to the new built elephant enclosure, and later Rostock Zoo took over the breeding of Arabian horse and became the largest breeder of the horse in the entire East Germany. In 1963, the first polar bear was born in the zoo, and it was given the name Katja. In 1973, the zoo was once again enlarged with an added 56 Hectares, coordinated with a new master plan.

Since 1980, Rostock Zoo is studbook keeper of Polar bears within the European Endangered Species Programme.

Since 1989

In 1992, Gemeinnützige GmbH Zoologischer Garten Rostock was founded and chaired by Rostock Zoo director, Udo Nagel, and from 1992 until 1998, several new animal enclosures were established, among them painted dogs, eared seals and Hussar monkey, and since then more enclosures has been created or renovated.

In 1999, the zoo celebrated the Jubileum named 100 Jahre Tiergärtnerei, after being a garden for a hundred years.

The female African elephant, Sara, who was the oldest in a European zoo, died 2013, and ended the Zoo's keeping of elephants, and the elephant enclosure was replaced with Pygmy hippopotamus.