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All Germany Berlin AquaDom
AquaDom is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

AquaDom

The largest free-standing aquarium in the world resides in a hotel lobby in Berlin.

Berlin, Germany

Added By
Burt
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AquaDom   Maria Eklind / CC BY-SA 2.0
AquaDom   Maria Eklind / CC BY-SA 2.0
  Eric Pancer / CC BY-SA 3.0
Some of the AquaDom wreckage outside the Radisson Hotel   JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
Some of the AquaDom wreckage outside the Radisson Hotel   JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
Radisson Hotel Berlin   A.Savin, WikiCommons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A diver in the AquaDom   Billie Grace Ward / CC BY 2.0
AquaDom in 2014   Francisco Antunes / CC BY 2.0
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
  Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
  Jesús Gorriti/Flickr
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  IgFan / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Update: On December 16, 2022, the aquarium burst, flooding the hotel and nearby streets. The hotel remains closed until further notice.

Touted as the largest cylindrical fish tank in the world—25 meters high and 12 meters in diameter—the Aquadom is a sight to behold. It contains over 1 million liters of water, a coral reef, and is home to nearly 2,600 fish of more than 100 different species.

A tank of this caliber cannot be simply viewed from the ground, and with the luxury and style the Radisson hotels pride themselves in, they've solved this problem in a grand way. An elevator takes guests up through the inside of the tank for a full 360-degree view of the fish as well as the divers who care for them and the tank on a daily basis. The AquaDom was built by the Union Investment Real Estate GmbH at a cost of 13 million Euros for the aquarium alone. Biological management lies with the Berlin Society for Large Aquariums.

On December 16, 2022, the massive suspended aquarium burst. While the exact cause of the break is not yet known, according to a BBC report, there is speculation that freezing overnight temperatures caused a crack in the aquarium's glass walls, which were then unable to withstand the weight of the water inside. Two people were injured by glass from the explosion, and the hotel and surrounding streets were filled with water and debris. Though rescues are being attempted, many of the fish that were inside the aquarium have died.

Related Tags

Aquariums Animals Hotels Places To Stay Architectural Oddities Water Architecture

Community Contributors

Added By

Burt

Edited By

Luis Morato, snowjunkie21, Johan SWE, watercolorstain...

  • Luis Morato
  • snowjunkie21
  • Johan SWE
  • watercolorstain
  • giuliafab
  • promotions1461
  • domnokes
  • Allison
  • rbenn250
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • IgFan

Published

March 4, 2012

Updated

December 16, 2022

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Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63996982
  • http://www.radissonblu.com/berlin/services/aquadom
  • http://www.visitsealife.com/Berlin/en/plan-your-visit/aquadom.aspx
AquaDom
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 3
Berlin, 10178
Germany
52.51942, 13.4029
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