Haus des Meeres, Public aquarium and zoo in Mariahilf, Austria.
The Haus des Meeres occupies a 47-metre concrete flak tower in Esterházypark, with a footprint of 31 by 15 metres. Its blue glass facade is divided by white mullions, and a projecting circular platform extends from the right side. Inside, over 10,000 animals fill more than 8,000 square metres across the tower's floors.
The thick walls were built during World War II as a military defense structure. Twelve years after the war ended, the tower opened its doors as an aquarium.
The building's name, House of the Sea, dates from 1973, when the association founded in 1957 renamed itself Haus des Meeres – Vivarium Wien. A quarantine station for confiscated and abandoned reptiles, set up in 1992 with Kurt Kolar, later deputy director of Tiergarten Schönbrunn, still operates today. From 1991 to 2019 the facade carried Lawrence Weiner's lettering Smashed to Pieces (In the Still of the Night), removed during the 2019 expansion.
The tower stands in Esterhazy Park, one block south of Mariahilfer Straße, in the 6th district of Mariahilf. Since 1998 an elevator reaches every floor barrier-free, replacing the 1944 lift. The tenth floor, a recreated flak tower control vault with World War II exhibits, opens only at weekends and requires advance registration.
On the outside, only a few details hint at the original purpose, while inside the concrete construction remains visible. On the roof, an open area allows views over the city rooftops.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,649 contributors worldwide.
