L'OCEANOGRAFIC – Europe's largest oceanography park
Located in the giant complex of the Spanish “City of Arts and Sciences”, the largest oceanographic park on the territory of the European continent, L’Oceanografic, can be called the pride of Valencia without exaggeration. The architect of the building, Felix Kandel, tried to avoid right angles and vertical lines throughout the structure, creating a unique architectural miracle. Built in 2002, the building of this giant entertainment and educational complex was able to shelter about forty-five thousand guests of more than five hundred different types in its spherical walls. All significant marine ecosystems are represented here, emphasizing the uniqueness of L’Oceanografic.
The total area of this giant oceanographic park is 110 thousand square meters. The water in all his numerous aquariums would be enough to fill fifteen Olympic swimming pools. That’s 42 million liters. The architect and his assistants had to work hard to make the structure strong enough to withstand enormous pressure, and to create this miracle that pleases numerous visitors to the park, safely strolling through the complex and observing the life of the mysterious kingdom of Neptune in all its diversity and splendor.
L’Oceanografic is divided into thematic zones. A separate pavilion will introduce guests to the flora and fauna of the Atlantic, in another spectacular room, similar to an amphitheater, they will see the bright colors of the Red Sea, in the third they will be able to observe the tricks of Humboldt penguins living in a giant aquarium even by the standards of the park. By the way, this particular aquarium with penguins is of particular interest to both children and adults, so there are always a lot of visitors near it. Two aquariums in a huge oval hall give every guest of L’Oceanografic an opportunity to get acquainted with the exotic inhabitants of the underwater world of the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
But, perhaps, the main thing in this giant oceanographic kingdom, its calling card, can be called two long, fifty-meter tunnels, passing through which the visitor seems to be at the bottom, surrounded by unfamiliar and mysterious life of the depths of the sea. From the sensations that you experience here, literally, it takes your breath away. Similar in size and length of the tunnel – 105 meters, does not exist anywhere else in Europe, in any oceanographic park. It is impossible to take your eyes off the various fish frolicking in the clear, transparent water, gently swaying algae, colorful marine plants. And all this is effectively decorated and highlighted with dynamic lighting, creating the complete illusion of a leisurely walk along the seabed. It is better to leave the visit to the tunnel for the very last stage of the tour of L’Oceanografic, because after leaving there, the impressions of the rest of the beautiful aquariums of the park will be blurred, because the pictures of what they saw will reappear in memory.
The most interesting place of the oceanographic park L’Oceanografic is the pavilion, where exotic seabirds and a dolphinarium are kept. The smartest creatures – dolphins, arrange a real enchanting show to the applause of the audience, happily showing their guests unique pirouettes and the most complex figures that can be called aerobatics. It seems that dolphins do all this without feeling absolutely no fatigue and with great pleasure, enjoying communication with children and adults. This magnificent show of sea acrobats is repeated every two hours.
Since the oceanographic park L’Oceanografic is located on the territory of the complex “City of Arts and Sciences”, it is difficult not to visit the research laboratories that are located there. Scientists working in the laboratories of the park are engaged in the conservation of endangered species of inhabitants of the underwater world, reproduction of rare animals. A visit to the laboratories, of course, must be included in the excursion plan when visiting L’Oceanografic.
Among other things, an underwater restaurant is organized for the guests of the park, where everyone can have a nice time and have a light snack, tired of walking and contemplating the exotic inhabitants of the depths. There is a computer games room for children here, and games, as it should be, according to the status of the institution, are dedicated to the seas and oceans.
And even if the oceanographic park L’Oceanografic is not the largest in the world, even if it is only among the five giant parks of this direction, equal to it in terms of technical solution, in its unique architecture, it overtakes all its competitors, without a doubt occupying the top position in the popularity rating. Panoramic architecture coupled with modern technologies makes it possible for every visitor of the park to enjoy, which cannot be compared with anything, from observing the life of the underwater world of planet Earth in all its diversity, beauty and splendor.
L’OCEANOGRAFIC