Rhodes Aquarium

Location: Town
Don't miss: Museums guide (free admission dates and other useful info)

The Rhodes Aquarium is housed in the building of the Hydrobiological Station, at the northernmost tip of Rhodes Town. The building was constructed in 1934-35, during the Italian occupation, to house the Rhodes Royal Institute of Biological Research. After the liberation of the Dodecanese islands, it began to operate as a regional station of the Hellenic Hydrobiological Institute and included an aquarium and a museum. Its main objective is to present and preserve the species of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as to conduct model marine research on the oceanography of the Dodecanese.

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The building, which has been declared a listed monument of Greece’s modern heritage, was designed by the Italian architect Armando Bernabiti. Combining local with Art Deco architectural elements, it is characterized by curved lines and circular windows, which, along with the central cylindrical tower, are intended to reflect marine aesthetics. The decorations on the main entrance are inspired by the local sea fauna, while the main exhibition area is made of porous rocks and shells, resembling an underwater cave. Later additions include a more modern museum area and a water tank for seals.

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More about Rhodes Aquarium

The aquarium comprises 13 big tanks and 15 small ones that display fish and other organisms of the Mediterranean. Among them, it is possible to see sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, seals, mollusks, echinoderms, crabs, and many more. The tanks are made of cement and their bottoms are covered with sand, pebbles, and corals, while the water is mainly filtered seawater.

Apart from these tanks, there is also a big underground area that serves to house new species, or sea animals that need special treatment and protection. It is also frequently used to hospitalize sea turtles and seals.

The museum displays embalmed sea species like dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks, and is certainly worth visiting. Among the most remarkable exhibits is a 2,000-year-old skeleton of a seal, which was found inside a human grave and was probably considered a member of the family! Moreover, the museum allows visitors to familiarize themselves with Mediterranean marine life in an interactive way and also has a small tank where they can touch some of the area’s harmless species.