Aquarium de Paris, Public aquarium at Trocadéro Gardens, Paris, France
The Aquarium de Paris, also called Cinéaqua, occupies former quarries beneath the Chaillot hill between the Trocadéro gardens and the Seine. Its 3,500 m² underground route holds 43 tanks and large aquariums with 5.3 million litres of water, including a 3-million-litre shark tank and a 160,000-litre tank with a 34 cm thick, 24-tonne viewing window.
The aquarium was designed in 1878 by architect Eugène Combaz in disused quarries beneath Chaillot hill, which had earlier housed part of Napoleon's cavalry and where Paris mushrooms were first cultivated. It opened as the Aquarium du Trocadéro, partly open-air and partly a cement-grotto interior of eighteen basins around two concentric ellipses. Modernised for the 1937 exhibition, it closed in 1985 for dilapidation and reopened in 2006.
The site began as mushroom beds: Napoleon's cavalry horses were stabled in these old quarries, and the straw-and-manure mix let Paris mushroom growing start here. The name Cinéaqua recalls the cinema room among the tanks, and the Polynesian basin holds 750 corals. In 2012 freediver Pierre Frolla swam with 25 sharks to promote their protection.
The location sits very close to the Eiffel Tower and is easily reached on foot from nearby streets. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since exploring all the levels involves some walking around the underground galleries.
The Aquastudio tank holds 160,000 litres behind a pane of glass 34 cm thick and weighing 24 tonnes, and it hosts a show with a mermaid. It is the second largest tank on the tour, after the 3-million-litre basin holding 38 sharks of seven species.
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