LISBON OCEANARIUM

Description

Essentials about the Lisbon Oceanarium in brief

Attention fish fans! When it comes to the underwater world, Lisbon offers a true highlight: The Oceanário de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium). The Oceanarium is home to over 12,000 marine creatures, making it the largest indoor aquarium in Europe. The Lisbon Oceanarium is located in the Parque das Nações (Park of Nations), the former site of the 1998 World Expo, when the Oceanarium was the main attraction of Expo 98, which was held under the motto “The Oceans: A Legacy for the Future”.

The building of the Lisbon Oceanarium

Already the building designed by architect Peter Chermayeff (a specialist in the construction of aquariums) is an architectural highlight and a real eye-catcher. The building stands in the middle of a water basin and extends over two floors around a gigantic main aquarium holding 5,000 cubic meters of salt water. In 2011, an additional building was added to the Oceanarium, which now houses the entrance as well as an auditorium and restaurant. It is connected to the main building by a connecting walkway. Exhibitions on changing themes are presented in the aquariums of the additional building.

The aquariums of the Lisbon Oceanarium

The main aquarium houses several species of sharks and rays as well as schools of tuna, sardines and the very difficult to keep moonfish. Due to the huge letters, visitors to the Oceanarium can get up close and personal with the sea creatures here. In addition to the main tank, marine life from all corners of the world’s oceans can be seen in many smaller aquariums. The four corners of the Oceanarium are each dedicated to specific regions. For example, there is an Antarctic corner with penguins and an artificial glacier, a mangrove forest corner, a North American rocky coast corner with a pair of sea otters, and a corner with a tropical coral reef where things are really colorful.