Plodiv, South Central Bulgaria, Jan 3 (BTA/GNA) – The world’s first exhibition ice aquarium will be built mid-2023 in Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria, Ognian Todorov, Director of the Natural History Museum of Plovdiv told the Bulgarian National Radio. This dream of the museum staff is about to come true thanks to the Bulgarian polar expedition, which set sail for Antarctica on December 27, 2022.
Similar facilities exist only in Canada and Chile, however, they are not open to the public, as they are used exclusively for scientific research, Todorov specified. The Bulgarian aquarium will also have scientific purposes, but it will be open to the public. The water will be between minus 3C and minus 2C. The aquarium will feature several spots, which will allow visitors to touch it.
Another dream of the museum, to have the first 3D saltwater aquarium in Bulgaria, already came true. The facility is comprised of three separate tanks with a total capacity of 30 tonnes. Its construction was inspired by the museum’s blacktip reef shark Larry, which after living in the museum for four years had grown too much and needed a bigger aquarium.
The aquarium walls are covered with a special film that creates in visitors the illusion of being underwater. Other than Larry, guests can see colourful tropical fish from Indonesia and Singapore, lionfish, stonefish, and oyster toadfish, among others.
The construction of the world’s first exhibition ice aquarium is funded under the National Culture Fund. It is expected to become a global destination.
Todorov is proud to emphasize that in recent years the museum in Plovdiv has been among the most dynamic ones in Bulgaria. “New additions to the team should certainly be considered, because it is obvious that we are gradually becoming an educational centre as well,” the Director pointed out.
BTA/GNA