Thousands of visitors dive into the new Aquarium
- 13 June 2026
Under great public interest, mayor Femke Halsema and ARTIS-director Rembrandt Sutorius officially opened the new ARTIS Aquarium to the public today.
Swimming goggles on!
After five years of restoration and renewal, visitors streamed through ARTIS Zoo from early morning, following a blue carpet to the historic building to be among the first to discover the new Aquarium.
Festive and colourful opening
Thousands of visitors answered ARTIS’ call to come to the zoo wearing swimming goggles. As a gift for the reopening, they received free admission to ARTIS. From toddlers wearing handmade goggles to entire families dressed in swimwear, the swimming goggles campaign created a festive and colourful start to the day.
Together with visitors, the mayor explored the new Aquarium. She reflected on the importance of preserving the monumental building and on the new story the Aquarium tells: water as the source of all life.
Water museum in Amsterdam
Mayor Femke Halsema said: “For generations, ARTIS has been a place close to the hearts of Amsterdam residents. I am proud that, with the renewed Aquarium, we have not only restored a beautiful national monument, but also created a water museum that invites visitors to look at the underwater world in a new way. The result is impressive.”
A public favourite makes ARTIS complete again
With the reopening of the Aquarium, the story of ARTIS is complete again. Visitors discover nature in all its forms: from the invisible world of microbes in ARTIS-Micropia to animals and plants in ARTIS Zoo, from the relationship between humans and nature in ARTIS-Groote Museum to the universe in the Planetarium. In the Aquarium, they can now discover how water, as the source of life, connects all these worlds.
Open to everyone from now on
The ARTIS Aquarium, opened in 1882, is one of the oldest aquariums in the world. After a five-year restoration, visitors can once again encounter life underwater and discover how water connects oceans, rivers, animals, plants and people.
The playful opening-day campaign was fully booked within an hour and a half of going live. From Sunday 14 June, the Aquarium will be open to the public seven days a week and accessible with a regular ticket for ARTIS Zoo.
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