Highlights

Did you know that all children and young people up to the age of 20 get free admission? The same applies to students with a valid student ID. It makes it easier to drop in and explore the world of the ocean together.

In the Aquarium, you can say hello to our blacktip reef sharks, Hajdi and Vega. They are siblings, constantly gliding through warm turquoise waters, surrounded by colorful fish—just like on tropical coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean.

The Aquarium is also home to Europe’s largest aquarium for living corals. It holds (in addition to reef sharks) around a hundred endangered corals, 30 tonnes of coral rock, and over 400,000 litres of water. Take a moment to pause and let your gaze drift across the colors and movement of this unique, living reef.

In the grand Memorial Hall, you’ll find the museum’s largest ship model: the East Indiaman Finland. The model is over four metres long and required a team of 30 people and two tonnes of timber to complete. Its impressive detail offers a glimpse into 18th-century voyages between Gothenburg and China.

At the very top of the building, you’ll find two popular exhibitions designed for children, ready to be explored with all their senses. In Knattegatt, the youngest visitors (ages 0–3) can discover a soft and safe underwater environment with cuddly octopuses and friendly barnacles. In Big Blue, experiences await children aged 4–10. Here, they can meditate with the sea, steer their own boat, and navigate their way through a winding ocean maze.

Andrée’s Polar Expedition of 1897 was an attempt to reach the North Pole by hydrogen balloon under the leadership of Salomon August Andrée. The expedition failed, and the participants perished in the Arctic.

In the exhibition Sea of Stories, a collapsible canvas boat that accompanied the expedition to Spitsbergen in 1897 is on display. The boat is one of only a few surviving objects from the expedition held in our collection.

Step into the Figurehead Hall and encounter a collection of figures that once gazed out over the open sea. Their role was to protect ships and inspire hope on long journeys. Here you’ll find kings, warriors, and enigmatic women—from the lady in green to mythical characters. Which one will be your favourite?

Our popular ship simulator is a true highlight of any visit. Step into the role of captain for a day and try your hand at steering a large vessel into port. An interactive experience where you take the helm and navigate through Gothenburg’s harbour entrance.

In the exhibition Sea of Stories, you’ll encounter hundreds of objects and stories from the world’s oceans spanning 400 years. Among them is this moving message in a bottle from machinist Ernst Josef Thorell, written during a dramatic shipwreck in 1918. The letter is addressed to his wife and ends with the words: “Thank you for a lifetime of love.” The message eventually reached its destination — but Ernst Josef himself never returned from the sea.

The Sailor’s Tower is an iconic monument to Gothenburg’s maritime history. The 49-metre-high tower was built in 1933 in memory of the sailors who perished during the First World War and is crowned by the sculpture Woman by the Sea, also known as The Sailor’s Wife.