Adventures in the magical world of tropical seas and oceans -
in the middle of Europe
There are several beautiful aquariums in
Europe, but you need to be really determined in your yearning
for the sea to set one up in the middle of the Continent. A once-resolute
Hungarian living in Sweden, who is obsessed with the flora and
fauna, and especially of the residents of far-away oceans, can
now delight in seeing his dream come true since May 2000. In
the heart of the continent, far from the seas, he has conjured
up the secrets of oceans and seas in 40 aquariums and 30 terrariums
on a total of 3,000 square metres. The Tropicarium is a unique
spectacle in Central Europe. Its main attraction being a 1.4-million-litre
shark aquarium with an 11-metre glass tunnel going through it.
The walls of the shark aquarium have been made from special unbreakable
glass with a thickness of 16 cms, and a total weight of 4 tonnes.
Visitors can watch the six sharks - the almost 2-metre long brown
shark and the sand-tiger sharks - from the distance of an arm's
reach. These sharks belong to the 10 most dangerous of their
kind. The most modern computer technology helps create a real
jungle atmosphere around visitors in Tropicarium, including the
sounds of the jungle, the sunrise and tropical storms. Alligators
hungry for prey can be viewed from the bridge above the water.
Tropical birds make the environment even more colourful in the
same room. Residents of this jungle include 11 marmosets, 3 iguanas
and 2 pythons. As many as 1,000 unique tropical and water plants
have been set up in Tropicarium, in addition to which 25 tonnes
of sand, corals and innumerable rocks were used to set up the
living space for animals. Highly-skilled and experienced biologists,
veterinarians and animal keepers guarantee that healthy life
functions of these special animals and plants are maintained.
In addition to entertainment, strong emphasis is placed on education
and information supply, as a result of which it is possible for
all ages to acquire valuable new knowledge and have fun at the
same time. Tropicarium is open to visitors seven days a week.
