There is something about the underwater world that's always been attractive to humankind. A lot of people study things on solid ground, but if you don't get into it genuinely, I guess we tend to take it for granted. But there's always a question mark above our heads when we think about the unreachable spaces that, although they somewhat surround us, are seldom in our very eyesight. It's still a bit harder to get to space, but I'm sure that you, my dear reader had a chance, at least once in your life, to put on a diving mask and take a look into, as movie fans like to call it, the great deep. For me, it's like you've entered another world, another dimension. And no, I'm not talking about that kind of dimension Mike, Eleven, Dustin and the rest of the crew had to deal with. I'm talking about the breathtaking underwater space, where the aquatic species live. Suddenly, you don't need to visit space anymore. Now, imagine if you had the opportunity to look at all of them without being wet. There's an excellent opportunity to experience that in Karlovac. 

Photo Credit: Denis Stošić/Aquatika

The Venue

Karlovac is a town in central Croatia, about 50 kilometers from Zagreb. Croatia is among the countries with the wealthiest freshwater flora and fauna. And the city of Karlovac is situated on four rivers, making it an excellent place for showcasing the natural riches of Croatian freshwater. The public establishment Aquatika is a freshwater aquarium in Karlovac which was set up as a part of a project under the title "Freshwater Aquarium and the museum of rivers - Kaquarium." The project was co-financed by the European Union from the regional development fund, which was a part of an effective program regional competitiveness which lasted from 2007 to 2013. When the project was applied for the funds, 144 others applied as well, and the project Aquatika was one of the 15 that won the funds. The aquarium is not essential as a unique tourist attraction which helps the tourism of the city of Karlovac a lot but to the economists of Karlovac who have the idea and a desire to contribute to improving their town. In the end, the aquarium itself undisputedly raises the life quality of the people from Karlovac. The aquarium stretches across almost 3,000 square kilometers, and it always provides an exciting sight to see. 

Photo Credit: Denis Stošić/Aquatika

Karlovac Visualized

Just recently, a new exhibition will be ornamenting the aquarium. The exhibit is called "Karlovac Visualised," and it's about the city of Karlovac. The six-pointed fortress of Karlovac is celebrating it's 440th birthday this year, and a few people from Karlovac decided to present their co-citizens with this unique exhibition. The idea behind the exhibit is to tell a story about Karlovac a bit differently. It consists of twelve visualizations in the form of infographic posters which dwell on the history of Karlovac in an entirely new and fun way. Besides the different approach to the very theme of the exhibit, it's also unique because of the innovative idea of using the infographic as a medium. The information showcased through the show is combining the facts and statistical data with graphic elements and illustrations presenting the possibly dull historical data in a wholly new and appealing content which is bound to catch the interest of every visitor. The exhibit will be active until the end of the year, and the entrance to the exhibition is free. I think that's another excellent reason for visiting the aquarium this year.

Photo Credit: Denis Stošić/Aquatika

Dive deep into the aquarium

The first sight of the museum impressed me because it's made according to the latest standards of museum design. On their website, you can take a virtual walk through the museum. And if you go there yourself, which I warmly recommend, you can choose an audio guide which can be synced with your smartphone. You can see around a hundred freshwater fish species in the museum, which should be a reason enough to come. If that's still not enough for you, you can enjoy their souvenir shop and event center, and the museum is organizing a professional guide for visitors, each day at eleven a.m., which is another excellent way to learn even more about the fish. The best thing about the professional guides is that it's completely free all summer, until the end of August. All in all, The Aquatika museum is a great way to learn something new about Croatia, Karlovac. And as I said before, it's located about 50 kilometers from Zagreb, making the Aquatika museum a perfect one-day outing if you're staying in Zagreb for a couple of days. 

Photo Credit: Denis Stošić/Aquatika

Header Image Credit: Denis Stošić/Aquatika

Author: Tibor Trupec