The Wadden Sea Centre () is the

visitor center A visitor center or centre (see American and British English spelling differences), visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to visitors. Types of visitor center A visit ...

for the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

, an intertidal zone of

the North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

stretching from

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. The center serves to raise awareness of the Wadden Sea and the marshlands around it. Located in Vester Vedsted,

, the center opened in February 2017.

Features and Exhibits

The centre features many exhibits and activities, some of which are listed below.

The Migration of Birds

Two rooms at the centre are dedicated exclusively to learning about the birds, with videos, interactive games featuring bird calls and art featuring the various birds of the Wadden Sea.

The Sky

A large area where visitors can explore items from the Wadden Sea with microscopes, as well as learn about the various birds from the region.

The Landscape of the Wadden Sea

Room dedicated to tides and storm floods of the Wadden Sea. Videos on the walls show the various environments found in the Wadden Sea region, and there are several installations explaining the tides and their effect on the environment. An interactive sand box installation shows settlements forming on higher ground.

Life in the Wadden Sea

An area featuring three tanks with creatures from the Wadden Sea, the largest of which visitors are invited to put their hands in.

The Anatomy of Migratory Birds

An exhibition featuring interactive displays, bones, preserved specimens and artwork all teaching about the anatomy of birds.

Tales of the Wadden Sea

An exhibit dedicated to the peoples who have lived along the Wadden Sea.

The Departure

The final room in the exhibition features an artwork of glass with video projections showing the flight of birds.

Other Features

* Cafe * Small theater showing a film about storms on the Wadden Sea * Gift Shop

Tours

The center offers tours to the Wadden Sea (including oyster tours) and the neighboring island of

Mandø Mandø () is one of the Danish Wadden Sea islands off the southwest coast of Jutland, Denmark in the Wadden Sea, part of the North Sea. The island covers an area of and had 40 inhabitants in January 2018. The island is part of Esbjerg Municipa ...

Architecture

The building was designed by Danish architect

Dorte Mandrup Dorte Mandrup-Poulsen (born 28 July 1961) is a Danish architect. Founder and Creative Director of the architectural practice Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter A/S that has approximately 60 employees. The practice is based in Copenhagen, Denmark and is behi ...

and was named Danish Building of the Year in 2017 by a committee of Denmark's top architects. The center is the built in cooperation with

Esbjerg Municipality Esbjerg Municipality () is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Jesper Frost Rasmussen, from the Venstre (Center-Right Party) political pa ...

, the A.P. Møller Fund, Arbejdsmarkedets Feriefond, Danish Outdoor Council, Louis Petersens Legat, Augustinus Fonden and Realdania.

Gallery

File:Wadden Sea Centre, Life in the Wadden Sea 2.jpg, Life in the Wadden Sea File:Wadden Sea Centre, The Migration of Birds.jpg, The Migration of Birds File:Wadden Sea Centre, The Sky 2.jpg, Preserved birds in The Sky File:Wadden Sea Centre, The Sky.jpg, View of inner courtyard File:Wadden Sea Centre, The Landscape of the Wadden Sea 2.jpg, The Landscape of the Wadden Sea File:Wadden Sea Centre, The Sky 3.jpg, The Sky

External links

*
Link to Dorte Mandrup's Website describing the building

References

{{WikidataCoord Tourist attractions in Denmark Esbjerg Municipality