A new museum is set to take residence on the northern tip of a Norwegian island next year.
Aptly named The Whale, it will be dedicated to knowledge and experiences centred on the world’s largest mammal and is set to open to the public in June 2027 in Andenes, Norway.
The location choice is no accident – this north Norwegian village is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean and is one of the best destinations for whale encounters all year round. Among its goals, The Whale aims to bring together science, art, storytelling and architecture for visitors to have a space to learn about the marine giants and their ecosystem.
Divided into an array of ‘experience areas,’ the space goes beyond the confines of a traditional natural-history museum with life-sized wooden sculptures of killer whales depicted breaking the surface, housed alongside a species gallery filled with all 90 modern-day species, as well as an area of the mammal's anatomy – from bones to "strange masses and blobs," The Whale said.
There will also be a multisensory space filled with whale sounds, which is dimly lit to mimic the deep ocean. The Whale also spotlights the impacts of industrial whaling and efforts made to counteract the practice.
