The Moskvarium — formally the Center of Oceanography and Marine Biology — opened on August 5, 2015, on the grounds of VDNH, Moscow’s sprawling Soviet-era exhibition park, right beside the landmark Cosmos pavilion. With about 25 million litres of water inside a 53,000-square-metre complex, it is one of the largest aquarium buildings in Europe and a flagship of the VDNH revival program.
That total puts the Moskvarium eighth on the list of the largest aquariums in the world, in a virtual tie with Vladivostok’s Primorsky Oceanarium for the title of Russia’s biggest.
Key Stats
| Total water volume | About 25 million litres (25,000 m³) |
| Opened | August 5, 2015 |
| Location | VDNH, Moscow, Russia |
| Species | More than 600 species across 80 aquariums |
| Signature tank | Main marine aquarium — 1,490,000 litres |
Three Attractions in One Building
The complex is split into three zones: the aquarium exhibition, a water-show arena, and a swimming-with-dolphins centre. The exhibition floor holds 80 tanks across 12,000 square metres, arranged as a journey through the fresh and salt waters of Russia, the rivers of South America and Africa, a coral reef hall, and more, with a touch pool for close encounters. Up to 1,200 visitors can tour the tanks at once.
The show arena seats 2,300 spectators for large-scale water productions, while seven dedicated pools serve the dolphin swimming centre. Residents across the complex have included orcas, bottlenose dolphins, beluga whales, Baikal seals, sharks, rays, octopuses, moray eels, crocodiles, sea turtles, jellyfish, and seahorses.
An Ocean 400 Miles from the Sea
Building a marine world in the middle of a landlocked megacity took serious engineering. More than 700 tonnes of sea salt from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk were needed to fill the tanks, and about 80 tonnes more are added every month to keep salinity on target. Forty-seven engineering systems filter the water and air, running every drop through a complete purification cycle in four hours, with chemistry and temperature monitored automatically.
The Moskvarium also positions itself as a science hub: it hosts marine-biology conferences and is a key partner of Russia’s “Floating University” program, which trains students for long ocean research expeditions.
Visiting the Moskvarium
The Moskvarium sits deep inside VDNH — reachable from the VDNKh metro station, past the park’s famous fountains and pavilions — and pairs naturally with the rest of the exhibition grounds, from the Cosmos pavilion’s space museum to the Moscow cable car. Aquarium tickets, water shows, and dolphin swims are booked separately, so check schedules ahead on busy weekends.
FAQ
Is the Moskvarium the largest aquarium in Russia?
It is one of the two largest — at about 25 million litres it sits in a statistical tie with the Primorsky Oceanarium in Vladivostok, and ranks eighth among the world’s largest aquariums.
When did the Moskvarium open?
It opened on August 5, 2015, at VDNH in Moscow, as part of the exhibition park’s major restoration program.
How many animals live at the Moskvarium?
The exhibition features more than 600 species across 80 aquariums, from sharks and rays to belugas, Baikal seals, and a coral reef hall.
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Photo: Frieze / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.