Polaria is the world's most northerly

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

. It is located in Tromsø, in northern Norway. Rather than a mainly scientific aquarium such as the one in Bergen in the Norwegian midlands, Polaria, which opened in May 1998, is designed to be an educational experience, with particular emphasis on displays for children. Most of the displays focus on the northerly islands of

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

. There is a five-screen panoramic cinema, an "Arctic Walkway" area containing displays of polar exploration equipment, stuffed animals and simulated

permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...

, many conventional aquaria displaying local marine life as well as open tanks and display tanks containing rock-shore animals, baby fish and other child-friendly exhibits. Its centerpiece is an open pool containing a group of

bearded seal The bearded seal (''Erignathus barbatus''), also called the square flipper seal, is a medium-sized pinniped that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. It gets its generic name from two Greek words (''eri'' and ''gnathos'') that refer to its h ...

s, ''Erignathus barbatus''. These are trained and there are regular displays, as much to keep the animals active and healthy as for public entertainment. The seal enclosure has observation blisters set into its sides, so that visitors can look up at the animals from underneath, and a submerged walkway in a transparent tunnel across the bottom, allowing close access to the animals in their natural environment. The building itself is also worthy of note. Its striking design represents ice floes that have been pressed up on land by the rough seas of the Arctic or pressure ridges. This attractive piece of modern architecture echoes the

Arctic Cathedral Tromsdalen Church or the Arctic Cathedral ( no, Tromsdalen kirke, Ishavskatedralen) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the Tromsdalen valley on the east side of ...

across the harbour in

Tromsdalen Tromsdalen ( sme, Romssavággi Sálašvággi) is an urban neighborhood in the city of Tromsø which is in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city centre on the mainland along the coas ...

on the mainland. One of Norway's most famous and successful

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

ships, the ''Polstjerna'' (T-80-T) has been preserved in a separate museum building less than a hundred metres away from Polaria. Tickets to the ship museum can be bought from Polaria.

External links

Polaria homepage
{{authority control Museums in Troms Natural history museums in Norway Education and research in Tromsø Buildings and structures in Tromsø Aquaria in Norway Museums established in 1998