Haus des Meeres in Vienna: Our Experience of the 11-Storey House of the Sea and a Trip Tip
A trip to Vienna's Haus des Meeres – a former WWII anti-aircraft tower that's now home to more than ten thousand marine and land animals, complete with a glass tunnel with sharks swimming overhead.
This time we headed to Vienna, to an incredibly interesting building called Haus des Meeres – House of the Sea. It’s one of the most visited attractions in Vienna, open 365 days a year. The building is mostly made up of marine aquariums and terrariums. We planned this trip especially for my father-in-law, since he’s a passionate keeper of birds and fish and loves animals just as much as I do. 🙂
A concrete tower with a turbulent history
The House of the Sea also has a very unusual history. It was originally a giant concrete anti-aircraft tower called a Flakturm, built during the Second World War. Today, this monumental structure is home to a unique sanctuary for more than ten thousand animals.
Vienna's Haus des Meeres is housed in a former anti-aircraft tower, the Flakturm
The view from the eleventh floor
After paying the admission fee, we took the lift all the way up to the top floor. That’s where, on the eleventh floor, you’ll find the observation terrace. And the view of Vienna from up there was simply gorgeous! There’s also a lovely café and restaurant where you can enjoy a panorama of pretty much the whole city over a good coffee. ☕
The view from the observation terrace on the eleventh floor
A cold floor with a heavy past
Just one floor down, on the tenth floor, we came across a very strange, cold room. It had the raw atmosphere of bare concrete, and a member of staff, I think from security, told us about the tower’s turbulent history, the war, and how this concrete colossus actually came to be. There’s also an interesting historical exhibition there. It felt strange to stand in a place with such a heavy past, knowing that today a completely different, new life pulses all around it.
Birds and monkeys in a tropical jungle
From the tenth floor downwards, a completely immersive world opened up before us. You walk right among the exotic inhabitants and feel as though you’re in a real jungle. On one of the floors, colourful little birds flew freely above our heads through the lush greenery. And on another floor, we watched various monkeys jumping between the tree branches, checking us out from up close. 🐒
Birds, monkeys and reptiles in the tropical pavilion
An underwater world, glowing jellyfish and sharks overhead
As you descend to the lower floors with marine and freshwater aquariums, the atmosphere calms down and thickens into a deep blue. You walk past tanks full of all kinds of fish, from tiny, colourful coral-reef fish to mysterious sea creatures. The tanks with glowing jellyfish were amazing too – they looked like creatures from a completely different planet.
A coral reef, sharks, rays and large fish
All this beauty in the lower floors is then crowned by a glass tunnel. You walk right through a giant aquarium, so huge fish, rays and sharks swim right above your head and all around you. 🦈
Glowing jellyfish and the glass tunnel with sharks
Facilities and impressions
Of course, there’s also great facilities here – clean toilets and snack bars where you can rest and grab a bite, because going through all eleven floors really does take a lot of time. And there’s a souvenir shop by the exit too.
We spent several unforgettable hours at Haus des Meeres, and every moment was worth it. You do hope and believe that the animals there are well looked after. 🙂
This was a fantastic experience that will delight pretty much every nature lover.
Have you already been to Haus des Meeres, or are you planning a visit? 🙂
