Aquatopia was a popular educational attraction in central

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It used to feature a set of aquariums, along with recreations of other marine habitats, including swamps, rain forests, river deltas, and coral reefs. Aquatopia also included a number of special exhibits covering sharks, nautilus, and mysteries of the deep. The multi-story attraction was located on Koningin Astridplein, opposite

Antwerpen-Centraal railway station Antwerpen-Centraal railway station ( nl, Station Antwerpen-Centraal, french: Gare d'Anvers-Central, IATA code: ZWE), officially Antwerpen-Centraal, is the main railway station in Antwerp, Belgium. The station is operated by the National Railway ...

. It had of water.

History

Aquatopia opened to the public on October 1, 2003. Over 8,000 people visited the aquarium in the weeks following its opening. Within a year, Aquatopia had received an expansion. At its peak, the aquarium housed approximately 4,000 individual animals of 100 different species. In the summer of 2015, Aquatopia was acquired by new owners. The new owners did not have an interest in maintaining the aquarium, preferring to invest in their other assets. In addition, Aquatopia had been losing visitors. It was decided to close the aquarium. The majority of the animals were sent to the nearby

Antwerp Zoo Antwerp Zoo ( nl, ZOO Antwerpen) is a zoo in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, located next to the Antwerpen-Centraal railway station. It is the oldest animal park in the country, and one of the oldest in the world, established on 21 July 1843. ...

, but some were sent to facilities in other parts of Europe. Aquatopia closed on January 8, 2017.

References

External links

Last archived version of official website
Buildings and structures in Antwerp Zoos in Belgium Tourist attractions in Antwerp {{zoo-stub