Founded in 1872 in the gardens of the Villa Comunale beside the seafront of Naples, the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn is the oldest scientific aquarium in the world and one of the most important marine research institutions in the Mediterranean. The aquarium open to the public is the publicly visible front of a much larger research operation that has shaped marine biology for more than a century and a half. The institution was founded by the German zoologist Anton Dohrn, who believed that the diversity of life in the Bay of Naples made it the ideal setting for the systematic study of marine animals, and who funded the first building from his own resources, persuading the city of Naples to provide the land within the gardens. The aquarium itself, with twenty-three tanks arranged in a small central hall, is unusual among aquariums in that it focuses exclusively on the marine life of the Mediterranean, displaying around two hundred species of fish, invertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans collected from the surrounding sea. The displays are restrained and scientific in tone, with no theme-park flourishes, and visitors looking for a marine extravaganza in the style of the Genoa or Lisbon aquariums will find Naples a quieter and more old-fashioned experience. The species on show are no less interesting for that, and the chance to see Mediterranean fish in clean, well-curated tanks is unusual. The wider research station behind the aquarium hosts visiting scientists from around the world, runs courses for postgraduate marine biologists and contributes to studies of plankton, embryology, neurobiology and conservation, and its library and historic laboratory rooms are open by appointment to researchers. The aquarium has been undergoing periodic restoration in recent years, with parts sometimes closed to visitors, so checking opening hours is advisable, but its place in the history of science and its setting in the seaside gardens make it a worthwhile stop for those with an interest in marine life or in the history of biological research.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Villa Comunale, Naples, Italy

Website: https://www.szn.it

Opening Date: 26/01/1874