The Biosphäre Potsdam is a large tropical greenhouse complex near the Volkspark, housing a climate-controlled rainforest environment with free-roaming birds, butterflies, and reptiles among a dense collection of tropical plants. The combination of lush vegetation, warm humid air, and the spectacle of macaws and Amazon parrots flying overhead makes it popular with families and a useful refuge on cold or wet days. The building is a former exhibition hall from a GDR-era trade fair, substantially converted for its current use.
The exhibits cover tropical ecosystems from the Amazon basin to Southeast Asia, with accompanying signage about biodiversity and climate. The resident animals include poison-dart frogs, chameleons, caimans, and a variety of tropical fish in large tanks. Allow an hour and a half. The Biosphäre is in the Volkspark am Brauhausberg, on the eastern side of the city, easily reached by tram from the main station.