Before the largest aquarium in Northern Europe «Atlantic Sea-Park» was opened in the Norwegian town of Ålesund, it took about 50 years since its foundation. Several moves from one room to another, from city to city, and a change of name are only a small part of what happened to the famous modern aquarium of Scandinavia. In 1998 the King and Queen of Norway themselves attended its grand opening. With an area of ten thousand square meters, the Atlantic Sea-Park includes 11 giant aquariums as well as 2 indoor and 2 outdoor pools, where local divers perform daily. Besides, it is located in the picturesque surroundings of Ålesund, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and offers amazing views of the neighboring islands. No wonder it is one of the main tourist attractions of the country. It is also a favorite place for young visitors – only here they can see all the local marine life and take an active part in the feeding. The Ålesund aquarium is considered a rare contact aquarium. This means that at certain times of the day all visitors can get some of the inhabitants of the deep sea directly from the bottom of the spacious aquariums, touch the shells of crabs and lobsters, pet stingrays and feed fish with a shrimp. Especially spectacular is the feeding of sea eels which literally snatch food from the hands of scuba divers. Moreover, the Atlantic Sea-Park is home to small penguins. They are happy to take fish from children's caring hands. Water in large aquariums comes directly from the ocean. This allows its inhabitants to feel as if they were in their natural habitat.

You can get acquainted with the rich fauna and flora of the Norwegian fjords. Experienced guides will tell you funny stories about the life of all the inhabitants. And the youngest visitors will be happy to dig up the fossilized bones of some prehistoric fish in the sandbox.