Artis officially bears the Latin name Natura Artis Magistra, which means "Nature is the teacher of art". In common parlance also referred to simply as the zoo Artis. Over the three entrances to the zoo written one word of the Latin name, but most people enjoyed Central, on which is written Artis – so the visitors decided that the zoo is called.

Artis is not only a zoo, as we used to understand it - there is also a planetarium, aquarium, Botanical gardens and the collection of art objects. This is one of the oldest zoos in continental Europe and the oldest in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1838, and to the public was open only from 1851, in the month of September. Since 1920, the zoo is open for visitors all year round.

At the zoo is 27 historic buildings. The aquarium was built in 1882, the library in 1867. The building, which now contains the wolves (former hotel) and red ibises, existed in this place before the zoo was established. In the Artis library assembled an excellent collection of books on the history of Zoology and botany, also it houses the library, the zoo, the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Botanical garden.

The zoo contains more than 700 species of animals, many of them rare and endangered. One of the main objectives of the zoo sees in the preservation and reproduction of rare species. Great efforts are being made to produce offspring from such species. The zoo participates in many international programs and collaborates with other zoos around the world.