Haus des Meeres
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| Haus des Meeres | |
|---|---|
 The Haus des Meeres in 2010. The slogan wrapping around the top of the tower was created in 1991 by American artist Lawrence Weiner.[1] | |
 Interactive map of Haus des Meeres | |
| 48°11′51″N 16°21′11″E / 48.19750°N 16.35306°E | |
| Date opened | 1957 |
| Location | Vienna, Austria |
| Floor space | 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft) |
| No. of animals | 10,000+ |
| Annual visitors | 436,500 (2012)[2] |
| Website | www |
The Haus des Meeres (HdM, English: House of the Sea) is a public aquarium in Vienna, Austria. It is located in Esterhazy Park in the centre of Mariahilf district, one block south of the busy Mariahilfer Straße. The Haus des Meeres houses over ten thousand aquatic beings on an area of around 4,000 square meters (43,000 sq ft) inside a tall concrete flak tower built during World War II.[3] In 2012 the Haus des Meeres attracted a record high of 650,000 visitors.[2] The Haus des Meeres is managed by Aqua Terra Zoo, a private non-profit organization which, according to its web site, receives only marginal financial support from municipal authorities.[note 1] However, the maintenance costs for the former flak tower are paid by the taxpayer.
The first public seawater aquarium in Vienna was opened in 1860 by Gustav Jäger. Jäger's aquarium, like its contemporaries, relied on regular delivery of natural seawater. It became a reality in 1854 with the construction of the Semmering railway linking Vienna with the Mediterranean coast.[4] After two years of experimenting with small seawater tanks Jäger built a large aquarium for public display. He described the feelings of contemporary people who faced the unknown submarine world: "The first-time visitor ... cannot contain his inner excitement. His curiosity is so great that he can hardly enjoy the moment: I am sorry, but he looks so helpless, as if he has suddenly found himself among people whose language he neither speaks nor understands."[5] Visitors sought new experience, but resisted believing what they saw behind the glass. The aquarium was a financial loss, and Jäger had to close it after four years of operation.[4]
The concrete tower housing the present-day aquarium was erected as a fire control flak tower in ten months between October 1943 and July 1944.[6] The tower is 47 meters (154 ft) tall, with a footprint of 31 by 15 meters (102 by 49 ft), and its gross volume, including extensive foundations, reaches 55,000 cubic meters (1,900,000 cu ft).[6][7] In 1944 it was crowned with a Würzburg radar dome. In case of imminent air raid threat, the radar could be lowered into a concrete shaft with 3.5-meter (11 ft) thick concrete walls.[6] The subordinate gun battery tower is located inside a city block north of Mariahilfer Straße. The two towers operated as a single combat unit, in cooperation with two other pairs of flak towers built in Augarten (north) and in Arenberg Park (south-east).[note 2] After the war the tower in Esterhazy Park was temporarily used as a hotel with 38 rooms in a bunker, and then converted to a fire station.[8]
