Some Of The Biggest Aquatic Museums In Europe

Aquariums are specialised establishments that showcase various species of fish and marine life. However not all aquatic museums are the same as some of them are of mammoth dimensions and display of the largest fishes and sea mammals on the planet. Here are some of the largest aquariums in Europe.

Lisbon Oceanarium

As the name suggest this aquarium is situated in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. It was established in 1998 and is currently the largest indoor aquatic museum on the European continent. It houses a total of 16.000 animals from 450 different species. The largest tank at the Lisbon Oceanarium has a volume of 180.000 cubic feet. The venue is visited by approximately one million visitors per year which makes it one of the Portugal's most popular landmarks. It is also one of the very few aquariums on the planet that have the necessary facilities to house an ocean sunfish which is the heaviest bony fish on the planet and can weight from 250 kilogrammes to one tonne.

Aquaworld Aquarium

Founded during the mid-1990s, this aquarium is located in Hersonissos on the Greek island of Crete. The venue is classified as a natural history museum and was established by Scotsman, John Bryce McLaren. The most astonishing fact about the Aquaworld Aquarium is that almost all the animals that are housed at the facility are either rescued or abandoned pets. It is open on a daily basis from the 1st of April to the 31st of October and is one of the only three aquatic museums in the country.

Aquarium of Genoa

The Aquarium of Genoa is the largest in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It was opened in 1992 and is a member of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria). It is located in the old harbour area of the city and covers an area of 33.000 square feet. The venue is home to over 500 species of marine animals and has a total of 70 fish tanks with a combined volume of six million litres. It is also one of the few aquatic museums in the world that display dolphins. According to the latest number the Aquarium of Genoa welcomes over 1.2 million visitors on an annual basis.

Aquarium de La Rochelle

This French aquatic museum is based in La Rochelle and is identified as a family-owned public aquarium. It was founded in 1988 and currently has a floor space of 90.900 square feet making it one of the biggest aquatic museums in France and Western Europe. The venue is divided into the following exhibitions rooms:

Atlantic room which displays species from the intertidal zone and the coasts of Charente-Maritime.

Jellyfish room dedicated to plankton and jellyfishes that live in both tropical and temperate waters.

Oceanic room which showcases marine animals that live off the coasts of Africa.

Mediterranean room devoted to fishes, corals and invertebrates that inhabit the Mediterranean Sea.

Indo-Pacific room which houses marine life that lives in the Hawaiian region, Red Sea archipelagos and the Great Barrier Reef.

Caribbean room dedicate to species that inhabit the Caribbean region.

Amphitheatre room which displays large marine animals.

Sharks area which houses several species of shark.

Tropical greenhouse room dedicate to the marine flora.

The Aquarium de La Rochelle currently houses over 600 species of marine life and is visited by an estimate of 800.000 people which makes it one of the most visited aquatic museums in France. The venue is also recognised as an educational and research facility.

Sea Life London Aquarium

This aquarium is housed on the ground floor of County Hall on the South Bank of the world famous Thames Rivers in London, England. The venue was established in 1997 and is the largest aquatic museum in the British capital. It houses an estimate of 500 species of fish and marine mammals and has a total volume of tanks of over nine million litres. In 2005, the aquarium showcased three robotic fishes which were created by the computer-science department of the University of Essex. It is visited by approximately one million people on a yearly basis making it one of the most visited aquariums in the United Kingdom. The presence of the aquatic museum and all the other local landmarks have made London a city with global importance which explains why people from all over the globe move to it on a regular basis. This has ultimately led to an increase in the demand for fully licensed man and van services in London.

Istanbul Aquarium

The Istanbul Aquarium was opened in 2011 and is an official member of WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums). It lies in close proximity to the Atatürk International Airport which makes it easily accessible due to the area's excellent road and transportation network. The aquatic museum is a global leader in terms of number of housed species and tank volume. The venue is divided into 17 sections and is often described as a must see site in the Turkish capital.

Ozeaneum

This public aquarium lies in Stralsund, Germany. It is the focal attraction of the German Maritime Museum which is considered to be one of the three largest aquatic institutions on the European continent. It was opened in 2008 and since then has won numerous national and international awards including the 2010 European Museum of the Year Award. The venue's largest tank has a volume of over 2.5 million litres. The Ozeaneum is visited by more than one million visitors per year.

Palma Aquarium

Located on the island of Mallorca the Palma Aquarium is one of the largest aquatic museums in Spain. It was founded in 2007 and houses over 8.000 animals from an estimate of 700 species. It is also the location of the "Big Blue" which is the deepest shark tank in Europe. The aquarium has an average of 400.000 visitors per year.