Affenberg Salem

What Affenberg Salem does

Affenberg Salem is a destination wildlife park located at the Mendlishauser Hof estate near Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, operated by the private limited liability company Mendlishausen GmbH under Geschäftsführer Guillaume de Turckheim and Parkleiter Dr. Roland Hilgartner. The park's core offering is a 20-hectare forested enclosure housing nearly 200 Barbary macaques living in semi-wild conditions, supplemented by Germany's largest free-flying stork colony (~50 breeding pairs), a fallow deer herd, a waterfowl pond (Storchenweiher), and a 1.5 km circular visitor trail with moderated feedings. Founded in 1976 under a conservation concept launched in 1969 by Gilbert de Turckheim and Jacques Renaud, the park is part of a four-park European network that also includes La Montagne des Singes and La Forêt des Singes (France) and Trentham Monkey Forest (England).

Revenue is generated primarily through on-site admission tickets (€13.90 adult, €9.90 child 5-14, €12.90 student; children under 5 free) sold card-only at the gate, supplemented by ancillary on-site spending at the Affenberg-Schenke self-service restaurant with Biergarten, an award-winning souvenir shop, and optional paid add-ons including the Treewalk treetop walkway (€5) and VIP experiences. Online ticket and gift voucher sales are processed through the Regiondo booking platform; school and group rates are available, and the park offers curriculum-aligned educational programs for kindergarten through grade 12 with bilingual info stations. The park serves families and general visitors, school groups, academic researchers (via established ethogram and research framework supporting Master's/PhD projects), and regional/international tourists to the Lake Constance region, with marketing conducted across trilingual website (DE/EN/FR), five major social platforms, a monthly newsletter, and partnerships with regional tourism bodies including Bodensee Card PLUS. Operation is seasonal, with access primarily on Sundays and public holidays.

Name

Affenberg Salem

Legal name

Mendlishausen GmbH

Website

https://affenberg-salem.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Affenberg Salem is a German wildlife park at Lake Constance featuring nearly 200 Barbary macaques in a 20-hectare forest, plus storks and fallow deer. It serves families, school groups, researchers, and regional tourists through ticketed admissions and ancillary food, retail, and education services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Park / Nature Tourism

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoo & Aquarium Parks (Ticketed Wildlife Attractions) (THAJAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Watching & Encounters (Birding, Whale Watching, Primates) (THAJAIAC), Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL), Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAAAG)

Keywords

• Wildlife park operations
• Primate conservation programs
• Nature education programs
• Zoo park experiences
• Ecotourism destination

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Entry Tickets: Visitors pay admission fees to access the wildlife park. Pricing varies by age category (adults, children, students) with additional optional Treewalk experience.
2. Food & Beverage: Affenberg-Schenke self-service restaurant with Biergarten and indoor seating generates food and beverage revenue.
3. Souvenir Shop: On-site gift shop selling books, stuffed animals, toys, tableware, clothes, and branded merchandise. Received German Design Award recognition for souvenir shop.
4. Gift Vouchers: Online ticket and gift voucher sales through the website and Regiondo booking system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Affenberg Salem operates a 20-hectare wildlife park at Lake Constance where nearly 200 endangered Barbary macaques live in semi-wild forest conditions, observed by visitors along a 1.5 km circular trail with moderated feedings. The park also hosts the largest free-flying white stork colony in southern Germany, a fallow deer herd, and a waterfowl pond, supplemented by a treetop walkway (Treewalk), self-service restaurant, souvenir shop, and dedicated school education and academic research programs.

Product overview

Affenberg Salem is a wildlife park at Lake Constance featuring nearly 200 Barbary macaques in a 20-hectare natural forest enclosure (the core experience), supplemented by the largest free-flying stork colony in southern Germany, fallow deer, and a waterfowl pond. Optional paid add-ons include the Treewalk treetop walkway (250m at 12m height) and VIP experiences. Visitor amenities include the Affenberg-Schenke restaurant with Biergarten, adventure playground, souvenir shop, and exhibition. Educational offerings encompass school programs with interactive materials and behavioral science projects, while researchers can conduct field studies on the semi-wild macaque population. Tickets and gift vouchers are available online via Regiondo with free parking included.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Affenberg-Schenke: Self-service restaurant with beer garden located at the park entrance, within the historic Mendlishauser Hof courtyard.
• Treewalk

Quantifiable outcome

• Stork population recovery: From 15 breeding pairs in 1978 to over 2,000 pairs in Baden-Württemberg
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• La Montagne des Singes (Kintzheim, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner park founded in 1969 as part of the four-park conservation network dedicated to Barbary macaque welfare and species survival. All parks follow the innovative concept launched by Gilbert de Turckheim and Jacques Renaud for semi-wild macaque habitats.
• La Forêt des Singes (Rocamadour, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner park founded in 1974, forming part of the conservation network for Barbary macaques across Europe with shared research and conservation protocols.
• Trentham Monkey Forest (England)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner park founded in 2005, completing the four-park European network for Barbary macaque conservation and education.
• Barbary Macaque Awareness and Conservation (BMAC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMAC protects wild Barbary macaques in Morocco and preserves their habitats. The organization fights against illegal trade with Barbary macaques and educates the Moroccan population about the species' situation. Affenberg Salem actively sponsors and supports BMAC projects.
• University of LincolnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner conducting Barbary macaque conservation research through the barbarymacaque.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk project.
• Heinz Sielmann FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Biotopverbund Bodensee' project creating a network of biotopes in the Lake Constance region for stork and endangered species habitat improvement.
• ErlebnisBusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeasonal bus service (April to October) connecting Unteruhldingen (Pfahlbauten, Affenberg, Schloss Salem) to support visitor access to the park.
• Bodensee Card PLUS / IBTminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Bodensee Card PLUS offering access to approximately 170 excursion destinations in four countries around Lake Constance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• NaturZoo Rheine: Regional wildlife park in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with primate and native-species exhibits and conservation education programmes. Comparable to Affenberg Salem on German regional zoo/wildlife-park positioning and target audience, but serves a different catchment.

Broad incumbents

• ZSL Whipsnade Zoo: Large UK zoo and conservation charity with extensive outdoor enclosures, school programs and active research programmes. Comparable to Affenberg Salem on conservation mission and education focus, but operates full-time and offers a much broader species portfolio.
• GaiaZOO: Dutch wildlife/zoo park emphasising themed habitats, conservation storytelling and family education. Overlaps with Affenberg Salem on outdoor naturalistic enclosures, conservation messaging and family-day-visit positioning, but at greater scale and with broader species range.
• Longleat Safari Park: UK safari/wildlife park with drive-through and walk-through animal experiences plus extensive seasonal events. Comparable to Affenberg Salem on wildlife-park category and family tourism demographic, though operating at much larger scale and with a more entertainment-led positioning.
• Pairi Daiza: Large Belgian wildlife park/theme zoo near Brugelette with extensive animal exhibits, on-site lodging and multi-day visitor experiences. Competes with Affenberg Salem for international family tourism in Western Europe but at significantly larger scale and capital base.
• Tierpark Hellabrunn (Munich Zoo): Large municipal zoo in Munich operating as a geo-zoo with multi-species exhibits, school programs and on-site F&B. Competes with Affenberg Salem for German family visitors and school group bookings but at significantly larger scale and full-week operation.

Direct peers

• La Forêt des Singes: Sister park in Rocamadour, France (founded 1974), co-founder Gilbert de Turckheim's original Barbary macaque concept site. Same enclosure design, visitor flow and conservation mission as Affenberg Salem; visitors can buy combined tickets across the network.
• Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre: Primate-focused wildlife park in Dorset, UK, combining public visitation with active primate rescue, rehabilitation and research. Directly comparable to Affenberg Salem in mission (primate conservation + public education), visitor demographic (families) and revenue mix (admissions + on-site F&B/retail).
• La Montagne des Singes: Sister park in Kintzheim, France (founded 1969) and one of the four Affenberg network parks dedicated to Barbary macaques in near-wild enclosures. Operates the same semi-wild primate concept, visitor model and conservation protocols as Affenberg Salem, and is explicitly a partner site.
• Trentham Monkey Forest: English sister park (founded 2005), completing the four-park Barbary macaque conservation network. Same semi-wild enclosure model, similar ticket pricing structure, and same family-management lineage tied to the de Turckheim/Renaud concept.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/affenbergsalem
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmmg1jDsO41K2RkTN7hrJPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/affenbergsalem
• Instagraminstagram.com/affenbergsalem
• TikToktiktok.com/@affenbergsalem
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/affenberg-salem

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Affenberg Salem