Step into Howl’s Zoo World: The Captivating Steampunk Realm in France

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported by Liao Qiyu

Steampunk? It might be unfamiliar to most people—a concept that blends steam and punk, representing large machinery powered by steam and a non-mainstream counterculture. Steampunk works explore imagined possibilities, not only visualizing humanity’s vision of the future but also adding a touch of magic. Perhaps the most iconic steampunk image comes from the moving fortress in the animated film *Howl’s Moving Castle* !

In Nantes, France, there is a steampunk-themed zoo located on an island in the Loire River. What was once a dilapidated shipyard has been transformed into a dreamland of mechanical animals. Here, you can see all kinds of unexpectedly creative steampunk creatures, as if stepping into the magical world of Howl in the cartoon.

This theme park, called Les Machines de l’Île (The Island’s Machines), combines the fictional worlds of French science fiction writer Jules Verne and Italian art master Leonardo da Vinci. It invited many artists to create various giant animals, including a 48-ton elephant that can spray water and carry passengers, as well as various mechanical creatures such as birds, squids, worms, and unicorns—all mesmerizing to behold.