Video: Artis Aquarium reopens Saturday after 5 years of renovations

After a restoration that lasted five years, the renovated aquarium at Artis Zoo in Amsterdam will open on June 13, the zoo announced. The renovation cost approximately €50 million.

Over the years since its opening, the salt from the aquariums increasingly damaged the building’s walls, ceilings, and structures. Repairs could no longer be postponed, and the zoo decided to shut down the aquarium for proper renovations.

During the renovations, many aquariums were expanded and rebuilt. The new aquarium will house around 250 species. The building has also been made more sustainable, with insulating glass, low-temperature underfloor heating, and solar panels. Some of the aquarium tanks were also cast in self-healing concrete.

“Without water, there are no plants, no animals, no people. That message forms the core of the new story flowing through the ARTIS Aquarium,” said Artis director Rembrandt Sutorius.

The renovation was funded with money from the municipality of Amsterdam, the province of Noord-Holland, the central government, the VriendenLoterij, various funds, and countless donors.