Denmark: Copenhagen – Den Blå Planet
We went to Den Blå Planet, Denmark’s national aquarium on our last day in Copenhagen. The aquarium is situated in Kastrup, Copenhagen, quite close to the airport, and overlooks the narrow sound called the Øresund, which separates Denmark from Sweden. The building is surrounded by a reflection pool and is built in a spiral form inspired by the shape of a vortex. In the larger halls, the high ceilings give a tremendous sense of space; at 10,000 square meters, the building is huge. The halls are generally wide and I imagine it could accommodate a very large number of people before feeling crowded.
The aquarium is divided into three sections. The first is focused on the life found in the lakes and oceans of Denmark and northern Europe. I particularly enjoyed this first part of the aquarium. The animals are adapted to the cold water, and the displays were creative and interesting. There was also the obligatory “anchor with fish” tank, which was (as always) mesmerizing.
Two sea otters live at the aquarium, having been rescued as infants and raised by hand. The male and female otters were found in Alaska when they were four months old with a broken jaw and wounds after a boat strike and as a 1.5 kg abandoned one day old respectively. As usual, seeing such an intelligent animal in captivity stirs up all sorts of conflicting feelings. That said, you are a stronger person than I am if you could have left these two baby otters to their natural fate (that is, death). The otters spend a lot of time (up to six hours per day) grooming, and in between keep very busy, requiring a lot of enrichment from their four keepers. It was magical to see them.
Also in the northern seas and lakes section is the puffin exhibit, mimicking the cliffs of the Faroe Islands, a Danish territory. Here, I also found a touch pool (which the Danes call a sensing aquarium), and a terrifying ambulatory mascot. For those who watched Finding Nemo/Dory know what I’m talking about. Poor things getting touched by kids and adults.
The second section of the building is devoted to tropical lakes and rivers, with incredible freshwater exhibits. We saw piranhas, terrapins, frogs, little black rays the size of pancakes with white polka dots, huge Arapaimas, a Sloth, bats, butterflies, and electric eels. The rainforest exhibit is kept at a temperature and humidity level that is impressive in the Scandinavian winter, and I can imagine that this part of the aquarium is popular with expats from warmer climates like me!
The third part of the aquarium is for the rest of the ocean, and although it’s a big ask to cover (or summarise) so much in the remaining space, it does a fabulous job. The Ocean tank holds four million liters of water and is home to rays, hammerhead sharks, and other warm-water fish. Amongst many other things, there are seahorses, leafy seadragons, and coral reef fish to see.
Standing in the tunnel, we could see the boat from below, with the oars working frantically against what I imagine was a bit of surface current.
One of the things that Den Blå Planet does well is to integrate multimedia, virtual reality, and interactive technology into the aquarium experience. This reduces the number of animals required to be on display, and – for the most part – probably takes care of itself, requiring no cleaning and feeding. My favorite exhibit was the tropical section.
We finished off our visit with fish & chips at the restaurant at the back of the aquarium. It was a sunny day and we sat outside watching the planes land (the airport is pretty close). There is also a play area outside for the kids.
Anyway, if you’re in Copenhagen, visit! Next time we’re in Denmark, we’ll check out the little Øresund Aquarium at Helsingor, which is entirely focused on local fauna.
