One of the world’s oldest aquariums reopens in ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo
- 8 June 2026
One of the world’s oldest aquariums will reopen in Amsterdam on the 13th of June 2026, following a five-year restoration and reinvention.
One of the world’s oldest aquariums
Originally opened in 1882, the historic Aquarium of ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo has been transformed into a contemporary experience about the importance of water for all life on Earth — combining monumental heritage, living animals and plants, immersive installations, science and art, all under one roof.
The evolution of ARTIS
The reopening marks the latest chapter in the evolution of ARTIS, one of the world’s oldest zoos, into a multidisciplinary centre for nature, culture, and science. Following the internationally acclaimed ARTIS-Micropia — the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to microbes — and the interactive ARTIS-Groote Museum, the new Aquarium continues ARTIS’s ambition to reinvent how broad audiences engage with nature in the 21st century.
A new story flows in the Aquarium
Within the centuries-old walls of this listed national monument, a new story unfolds that immerses visitors in the world of water — the source of all life. In the renewed Aquarium, visitors are surrounded by vibrant underwater life while discovering the importance of water for everything that lives, both in water and on land. From nurse sharks to pistol shrimp, from tree frogs to humans themselves.
Reinvention of the Aquarium
Rembrandt Sutorius, Director of ARTIS: “For five years, we have worked on both the restoration and reinvention of the Aquarium. The new Aquarium tells what may be one of the most important nature stories of our time: without healthy water, there is no life. At a time when oceans, rivers, and lakes around the world are under increasing pressure, we want visitors to experience how water connects us all — from life in the ocean to nature in our own cities, and even the water that flows from our taps every day. Anyone who takes a dive into the ARTIS Aquarium will emerge seeing water, and themselves, in a different light.”
Every facet of nature in one place
As one of the oldest zoos in the world, ARTIS continues to reinvent itself to keep nature education and nature experiences relevant for a broad audience. Nowhere else in the world can visitors experience every facet of nature in one place: from meeting animals and plants up close in the zoo and botanical garden, to exploring the invisible world of microbes in ARTIS-Micropia, reflecting on their own connection with nature in ARTIS-Groote Museum, experiencing the ‘overview effect’ of Earth in the ARTIS-Planetarium, and discovering, once again, the underwater world in the renewed Aquarium. A significant part of the creative team behind the new Aquarium also previously worked on ARTIS-Micropia and ARTIS-Groote Museum.
Preserving a rare piece of global aquarium history
Living industrial heritage
The Aquarium is living industrial heritage and one of the oldest functioning aquariums in the world. When the building opened in 1882, it was internationally regarded as an engineering marvel. At the heart of this achievement was the revolutionary water filtration system developed by British aquarist William Alford Lloyd, one of the pioneers of the modern public aquarium.
Lloyd’s circulation system made it possible to maintain large-scale saltwater aquariums, something exceptional in the 19th century. During the restoration, this historic Lloyd system was carefully preserved, restored and integrated with contemporary technology. Today, ARTIS is home to the world’s last functioning Lloyd filtration system — a rare and still operational piece of international industrial and scientific heritage.
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